Kalyan: Panic gripped Dombivli residents on Friday night after sudden cracks developed in a 40-year-old residential building, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 people from around 25 families. The structure, identified as Seemantini Society on Gupte Road, was immediately sealed by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to avert any possible tragedy. According to residents, cracks were first spotted on the building’s pillars and walls late in the evening on Friday. Concerned for their safety, they promptly alerted the KDMC, fire brigade, and local police. A joint inspection team rushed to the site, examined the damage, and declared the building unsafe for occupation. All residents were evacuated in time and shifted to safer accommodations nearby. The building comprises 25 flats and three commercial shops.Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh More, who reached the spot, said, “This building was already on the list of dangerous structures and had undergone repairs about seven years ago. Thankfully, residents noticed the cracks on time and vacated the premises before any untoward incident occurred.” While no casualties were reported, the sudden evacuation has raised fresh concerns among local citizens about the safety of other aging societies in the twin cities of Kalyan-Dombivli.The civic body has sealed the building and assured affected families that they will be allowed to retrieve their belongings under the supervision of the disaster management team.This episode once again underscores the urgent need for regular structural audits and timely redevelopment of old residential societies in the region before rainy season, many of which continue to house hundreds of families despite warnings of structural instability.
