Noida, Nov 9 (PTI) “I thought my building would collapse,” Meena Mahapatra, a resident of Shahberi in Greater Noida, said recounting the earthquake early Wednesday.
Many Shahberi residents already live in fear, after the 2018 tragedy when two adjoining buildings collapsed on each other, leaving nine people dead. A subsequent IIT Delhi audit had found 98 per cent of buildings in the village were “dangerous”.
Abhinav Khare, who has moved to a rented accommodation in Delhi with his family, thanked his stars that he no longer lived in Shahberi although he owned an apartment there.
Several homebuyers in the area had written to local authorities in September, demanding their illegally built houses, declared “dangerous” in the IIT Delhi audit, be demolished and they be given homes as per norms of the Uttar Pradesh Rehabilitation Act 2013.
In the wake of the July 2018 twin-building collapse, around 80 FIRs were lodged against illegal constructions in the area and action taken against more than 50 builders, according to a local police official.
But the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, whose impact was felt in parts of northern India early Wednesday, including the National Capital Region, triggered a scare among the Shabheri homebuyers.
“When the earthquake occurred, I thought my house and my building would collapse. We have been living in this fear since the time we saw the IIT Delhi report which found our buildings unsafe and dangerous to live in,” Mahaptra told PTI.
Sachin Raghav said his family members ran out of the house as soon as they felt the tremors.
“Last night, while we were sleeping, the fan started shaking around 2 am. When I came out, I saw everyone was outside. Then we also ran out because according to the quality check by IIT Delhi, only three buildings are safe in Shahberi while over 400 are unsafe,” he said.
Abhinav Khare said the tremors were a “horrible” experience but he was “very fortunate that I do not reside at my Shahberi flat anymore”.
“If any mishap took place, I would have been unable to do anything. The IIT Delhi report has already declared 98 per cent of Shahberi’s multi-storey structures dangerous and also the Greater Noida Authority has issued guidelines warning that if any mishap took place, it would not be held responsible,” he added.
The homebuyers, who claim to have been duped by builders into buying illegal flats in Shahberi, hoped the state government would step in to help them out.
“The district administration and the government are not concerned about the people it seems,” Mahaptara said.
Raghav claimed the Yogi Adityanath government is aware of their situation and hoped some measures were taken to help them.
In a ‘Building Structural Safety Audit’ of 426 buildings located in Shahberi village in 2019, the IIT Delhi’s report recommended that structural survey, analysis, testing and strengthening programme be followed for the buildings.
“Utmost care must be taken to ensure the safety of the occupants of the buildings and the survey and testing team while the above programme is executed. Buildings must be evacuated and sealed in cases where signs of structural distress, including tilting and cracking, are visible,” the report, accessed by PTI, read. PTI KIS IJT
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