A BMW is among the six cars that were damaged on Tuesday after a minor landslide caused a wall to collapse in a Malabar Hill housing society; residents demand a permanent solution to the repeated menace
Malabar Hill’s loose soil gave way to another minor landslide that led to a comparatively major wall collapse on Tuesday. The landslide led to a wall collapse that damaged six cars, including a BMW. The fire brigade was summoned to remove the cars stuck under the wall.
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The cars were buried under mounds of mud, bricks and tree branches. Several cars have suffered heavy damage, leaving their owners visibly perturbed. Pics/Bipin Kokate
Residents have faced several similar incidents in the past and are now demanding a permanent solution to this recurring problem. Residents of the Rajmala building on Napean Sea road woke up to the sounds of a crash amid heavy rains on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
When they rushed down to see what had happened, they saw mounds of mud, topped with bricks and tree branches that had fallen and collected in their open parking lot. A portion of the collapsed wall hit six of the parked cars. Two vehicles were badly damaged.
The fire brigade was quickly summoned but it arrived only after dawn and proceeded with rescue work. Although nobody was injured, the car owners were visibly distraught seeing the damage. “My car had minor damage last year when a tree fell on it in the same location.
Since they were minor repairs, I did not claim insurance. But this year, my car has been badly damaged. I will have to find out how much the damage is, and then decide accordingly,” said Charu Jalundhwala, a resident of the 9th floor who owns an Alto.
Jalundhwala added that the society must now take concrete steps to resolve this menace so that it does not recur. According to Jalundhwala, the adjoining bungalows of politicians on Malabar Hill have their drainage system passing from near their building, which is in a comparatively low-lying area.
Even after the fire brigade had left, building staff spent several hours removing the debris from the spot. Three of the six cars had been taken away by their respective owners, while the remaining three remained parked there.
‘Why repair my car?’
Poornima Bothra, a resident of the first floor, said, “My car had been parked on one end of the parking lot, but was swept to the other end due to the force of the debris.
The parking lot has a total capacity of 60 cars but these six were the ones that were damaged. Now I will have to see the depreciated value of my car. If the value is less than that of the repair cost, there will be no point in repairing it. I am consulting the insurance agency right now.”
Bothra’s car is one of the worst affected, having almost flattened to half its height. The car’s glasses are broken and the tyres have gone flat. Bothra also said that the residents have complained to the society in the past regarding this matter but nothing has been done. The chairman and secretary of the society were not available for comment.
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