Mumbai: Digging next door opens up abyss in posh Juhu building

Iron support inside the ground-floor flat where Pankil Mehta (below) lives with wife. Pics/Poonam Bathija

Residents of an upscale high-rise on Juhu Beach are living in fear. The Ivory Towers building complex, tucked into the Juhu Koliwada lane, Santacruz (W), has developed alarming fissures. Residents said this is due to construction on an adjacent plot where the digging has been so deep (35 feet down) that it has weakened the foundation of their 40-year-old building.

The sinkhole (circled) in which watchmen Raman Mangela and Mahendra Ram fell

On January 14, shaken residents claimed that the tiles in their weakened building, have become loose and hollow. "The foundation, which is sand, has been literally washed away. That day, it was full moon and high tide, when the water rises and rushes in. It has weakened the tiles in our compound to such a large extent that both our watchmen feel into a deep cavity beneath the tile," claimed residents, including building chairman Chirag Negandhi. The building's CCTV footage bears out the falling claim.

Raman Mangela

First floor resident S Agarwal said, "We were wakened by a loud noise around 2 am on Saturday. We saw a huge cavity, we could hear shouting. We rushed down to help the watchmen."

Raman Mangela, one of the watchmen, who was walking with a noticeable limp when this reporter visited the building yesterday, said, "I have been a watchman here for 10 years. I was on my late-night rounds with my compatriot Mahendra Ram on Saturday, when suddenly, a tile gave way and I slid into a gaping hole. It was pitch dark and Mahendra fell in too after a minute."

Coconut trees tied to stop them from keeling over

Both watchmen were eventually rescued, after a ladder was thrown into the pit. Ram has fractured his hand. Residents, by then, had rushed down to the compound as another section of tiles caved in. "It was a mini earthquake," they said.

Turmoil in their lives
A visit to the building showed that coconut trees are tied with rope, as they are in danger of keeling over because of weakness.

Society chairman Chirag Negandhi and secretary Manjit Sawhney (r)

Pushpa Jerajani (79) said, "There have been repeated tremors... Our phones shake on the table, we are so scared." Agarwal said her 87-year-old father is admitted to Hinduja Hospital. "He is a heart patient. All this has added to his stress, immeasurably. My mother, who is 80, is looking after him." She then added sarcastically, "I am happy they are in Hinduja Hospital; at least, they are in a safe structure. Not like this one."

Many residents are afraid that they will have to leave the building, which now has support in the form of iron beams, in certain places, after being weakened. Husband-wife duo Vinay and Monisha Thadani had left for a few days but are back now.

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All of them concur that they have never felt the building vibrate with the intensity it has throughout the four months of digging so far. Residents claim they have had meetings with Vineet Mittal, owner of the adjacent plot. "We expressed our fears. After the Saturday incident, we spoke to him over the phone, but he simply blamed it on the high tide!" said a resident.

Anguish and anxiety has been running high here. Society secretary Manjit Sawhney said, "We have our life savings here. Where will we go if we are told to vacate?"

"Most of us have not gone to work for the last few days, that's how engrossed we have been in trying to tackle this problem. We have had sleepless nights since that Saturday," said another resident, Seema Soni.

She added that residents keep vigil at night, in case of a collapse or further problem. "We have to be ready to run..."

Forced to flee
The most affected is Pankil Mehta, a ground-floor resident, who has left his home since Saturday along with his wife Anal and their three-year-old son. "I am looking for alternative accommodation," he said, adding that his son is "disturbed by what has transpired." A visit to Pankil's home shows iron beams all over the house for support.

With the building in such dire straits, residents know these are desperate times which call for desperate measures, like leaving their homes and then beginning the enervating, cripplingly expensive and soul-sapping search for alternative accommodation in an unforgiving city when it comes to real estate.

A recent tweet to the Mumbai police and Mumbai Congress with a picture of the huge cavity because of weakened tiles in the compound sums up the atmosphere and reads: 'Dig deeper and build taller even if adjoining bldg caves risking 100 lives? Stop this work...'

In a matter of days, lives have turned upside down. It is evident that Ivory Towers is living on the edge. Literally.

The other side
Girish David, Sterling Engineering consultancy services, structural engineer for the Juhu Koliwada plot said: "This is with regard to an unfortunate incident that has taken place at a housing society in Juhu Koliwada, adjacent to a property which is under structural development by our firm. Immediately after the incident occurred, we assisted the society in repairing the damage caused by Force Majeure. We would like to emphasise that all construction work was undertaken only after having obtained all applicable permits and clearances. However, we have now adopted additional safety measures with regard to structural work. All possible precautions have been undertaken."