The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (Gmada) has issued notices to the owners of the two buildings adjacent to the parking lot, asking them to furnish records and other governmental permissions and clearances issued by the authorities for the construction of these buildings.
The notices were issued after Gmada received complaints levelling allegations that the building owners have violated various norms set by the government, and the building plans were also violated while making the parking lot.
Gmada chief administrator Rajiv Gupta said, “The notices have been sent to the two owners for producing the documents and records of various permissions issued by the authority for the construction. The inquiry into this matter is being conducted by EO Khushdil Singh Sandhu. Further action will be taken once the documents and permission clearances are submitted.” The owner of the building, the parking lot of which collapsed, has blamed the adjacent under-construction building for the collapse, informed Sandhu.
The owner alleged that the basement of the adjacent under-construction building was dug up beyond the permissible limit, which caused his parking lot to collapse.
However, the owner of the under-construction building alleged that proper foundation and retaining wall for structural stability were not constructed to support the parking lot by the other owner. Besides, he said excessive seepage of water under parking lot was the cause of the cave-in. He also claimed that the parking lot owner didn’t have building clearances for many years, and only got a partial clearance last year.
“During physical inspection, we observed that the basement of the adjacent building was dug up beyond permissible limit but the owner of the under-construction building claimed that he had revised the plans. All these facts will be cleared once we receive valid documents from the owner,” Sandhu added.
On June 14, the parking area of a building had collapsed, leaving a car and a dozen of two-wheelers trapped in the rubble. No loss of life or injury was reported.