HC asks Pune civic body to give details of frequent collapse of retaining walls in last 3 years
Posted by Omkar Gokhale | Mumbai |
Updated: September 12, 2020, 9:56:14 am
The HC determined that an investigation questionnaire of the applicant was not necessary. (File)
The Bombay Supreme Court ordered the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Friday to file an affidavit setting out the reasons and details of the frequent collapse of retaining walls by various contractors, most recently resulting in injuries and deaths to construction workers and others in the neighborhood led 3 years. The court also asked the agency to explain whether steps were taken to ensure that walls that were already erected were erected in accordance with safety standards.
A department bank owned by Justice SJ Kathawalla and Justice RI Chagla had issued instructions on September 8 when they videoconferenced three pleas filed by Alcon Group, a real estate company, in which they issued the PMC’s following the collapse of the Kondhwa Wall Notifications of work stoppages challenged last June.
On June 29, the 60-foot wall of a residential complex in Kondhwa collapsed on top of some tin sheds, killing 17 workers, including children, who worked and temporarily lived on an adjacent construction site.
The court found that various developers have repeatedly filed written pleas and noted that since the retaining walls were being built by them for a specific project where the incident occurred, the PMC issued notices for their other projects and work stoppages had the same was arbitrary and illegal.
The bank, run by Justice Kathawalla, noted, “We don’t understand why and how the retaining walls erected by various developers repeatedly collapse, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries to workers.”
In light of this, the court ordered PMC’s attorney Abhijit Kulkarni to file an affidavit listing various details, including the number of retaining walls that have collapsed during ongoing projects in Pune over the past three years and the number of people who were injured or died as a result of such wall collapses.
The court also asked the PMC to provide reasons why it allows developers to proceed with their projects without reviewing and approving the structural stability of retaining walls and ensuring that they meet recognized safety standards.
The HC also asked PMC to let them know whether they have taken any steps to ensure that retaining walls that have already been erected meet safety standards and in no way endanger the lives or safety of workers on the premises or anyone in the neighborhood.
The court sought a detailed affidavit in response from PMC and made the matter available for further hearing until September 22nd.
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