Rampant cellar excavation in several localities portends trouble

The absence of rain has come as a blessing in disguise for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which is making no effort to ensure enforcement of its orders prohibiting the excavation of open cellars till the end of the monsoon season.

Unauthorised cellar digging is going on in an uncontrolled manner in the city, with the Town Planning officials looking away in disregard to the Commissioner’s orders enforcing the ban since May 30 this year. Many of these cellars are sans any setbacks, which put the neighbouring structures in grave danger.

One instance of copious rain, and there is every danger of erosion of soil from underneath the buildings, impacting their structural strength. No retaining walls have been constructed, and no safety measures are visible in the majority of cases.

“Cellar digging is going on at two locations in our colony, but the authorities have taken no action. During recent rains, water got stagnated in a cellar, where mosquitoes are breeding,” complained Santosh Kumar, a resident of Vasavi Colony, Saroornagar. He also recounts two more cellar excavations in RK Puram division, which have been condoned by the circle level officials.

An open cellar without safety measures can be found at Patrika Nagar, right behind the Cyber Towers in Madhapur. Despite its prominent location, no action has been taken, nor notices issued to the builder/owner.

In the Ramnagar area too, cellar digging is done using excavator machinery, without soil strengthening or retaining walls. It can be noticed that soil from underneath the adjacent building has also been removed, making it vulnerable to caving in when it rains. In none of the above cited cases are setbacks maintained as per the existing building norms. In most cases, barricading too is missing around the site.

On May 19, detailed instructions were issued in the name of the GHMC Commissioner, to ensure cellar safety during monsoons. As per the instructions, officials from the Town Planning wing must visit all the sites of excavations in their jurisdiction and ensure that cellar setbacks are maintained as per the sanctioned plan, and check for the safety of the surrounding structures. They must also ensure that all necessary precautionary measures are taken to avoid untoward incidents.

It must be ensured that there is no water stagnation in the cellar, and notice should be issued if the required standard safety measures such as soil strengthening, retaining walls and barricading are not taken.

In case of non-compliance, action should be initiated to stop the work, cancel the permission and license of the builder, besides filing of criminal case against the builder. The excavated portion should be simultaneously filled up using construction debris. Special attention should be paid to excavations in slopy terrains, and where rock cutting is on, to prevent land slides.

Laxity on behalf of GHMC officials is puzzling especially in view of the incident less than five months ago, wherein three labourers died in a cellar collapse at a construction site in LB Nagar.