There is no clue as to when and who gave permission to dig deep into the ground near an existing building. Also, there is nobody to answer how a dangerous building can be allowed to function despite an open warning.

The incident should serve as an eye-opener for the administration and lessons must be learnt from it. Realising this, municipal commissioner I P Gautam has decided to give some hard thinking to the issue relating to the construction of basements. “We will soon work out a policy for the regulation of basements in new buildings specially that are coming up near existing structures,” he said. “The present rules will have to be reviewed in the light of this incident,” he admits.

Construction of basements in commercial complexes had surprised BJP leader LK Advani as well. In 2000 flooding of the city, Advani had come across with this trend for the first time and had wondered how could basement shopping complexes be allowed in the first place. Sources in the AMC say that it could not absolve itself from the responsibility of safeguarding lives of people. It must take proactive measures and ensure speedy implementation of instructions issued in this regard from time to time.

Gautam said this was not the only case that was causing problem to the AMC. Another case, he said, is that of local opposition to construction of a wall in Astodia Chakla so that house did not come crumbling while constructing the road. “The local resistance to the construction of a wall facing the road has wasted almost six months of the AMC in the road-widening project on Astodia Road,” he said.