Hyderabad, February 07: The preliminary enquiry conducted by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into the collapse of a high-rise building which was under construction at Narayanguda yesterday found the structure to be very weak and built with substandard material.
“We found the unauthorised structure to be delicate and fragile and not fit for living’’ a senior GHMC official, who was part of the enquiry team, told.
For such a high-rise structure, the contractor used 10-12 mm diametre steel rods instead of using 20 mm diametre rods and the beams raised were too weak to take the load.
While raising the slabs, the contractor did not use proper mixture of cement, gravel and sand. More quantity of sand and less quantity of cement was used in the concrete mixture resulting in a weak structure. Curing, which is vital for any construction structure, was completely neglected.
The watchman of the building, Mallaiah as well as other labourers who escaped from the jaws of death, told the officials that despite making several requests for taking up curing, the contractor did not heed to their request and went ahead with the construction.
The officials said that they have seized construction material and the same has been sent for lab-testing to check the structural stability.
The contractor and the owner are at large. The police and the GHMC are making efforts to nab them. At the time of the crash, about 18 workers were working at the site, the officials added.
For a thorough enquiry, the State Government has appointed a committee headed by GHMC Commissioner. The other members include Hyderabad District Collector, GHMC Chief Engineer, officials from Roads and Buildings and Fire Services departments.
-Agencies