<i>Piling collapse makes two buildings risky</i>
Piling collapse at the construction site at the city's Gulshan-2 exposed the adjacent building with a side view, inset, to high vulnerability.Photo: STAR
Piling of a construction site collapsed yesterday taking along a boundary wall of an adjacent building at the city's Gulshan-2. The collapse left two adjacent multi-storey buildings at risk. Residents of the risky buildings were evacuated instantly while sand bags were being dumped to fill up the 24-feet deep pit in efforts to protect the adjoining buildings-- one on Road-99 and another on Road-101. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) Chairman Mohammad Nurul Huda told The Daily Star that the retention piling of the pit dug to lay foundation of a 12-storey building with a double layer basement fell as the construction firm, DOM-INNO, did not follow the piling design. The pillars were shorter than required. Rajuk Engineer (Development) Mahbub-ul-Alam said the construction firm also did not take any preventive measures for the piling work. Rajuk asked the DOM-INNO authorities to take immediate measures for protection of the buildings, said the Rajuk chairman. He said they filed a general diary (GD) with Gulshan Police Station and further legal action would be taken immediately. Locals said they heard a loud bang when the crash occurred around 9:00pm, causing panic among the residents of the two buildings. Bazlur Rahim Chowdhury, president of the flat owners' association of the building on Road-101, said when the piling collapsed, both the buildings jolted for a while. All residents left the buildings following the directives of the Rajuk and Fire Service authorities, he said. The DOM-INNO officials who were present on the spot declined to comment. Mohammad Shah Alam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, said Sadia Ahmed, one of the owners of the residential building on Road-101, filed another GD. Earlier on May 21, the piling of another construction site at Nakhalpara in the city's Tejgaon Industrial Area collapsed taking with it an adjacent road and three tin-shed.
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