The accident occurred when the housekeeping employees were cleaning water from a damaged AC pipe. The mall was immediately evacuated after the incident. Officials have warned of action if violations of rules were found.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ordered the closure of the popular Mantri Square mall in Bengaluru shortly after three mall employees were injured when a parapet wall collapsed on January 16. Officials suspect that the wall collapse was caused by water seepage.
The 20 foot parapet wall on the fourth floor collapsed onto the third floor, damaging the third floor. The three injured employees — Lakshmamma, Yeshodhamma and Amarin — were housekeeping staff who were clearing water that fell on the parapet wall from a damaged AC pipe. The staffers were rushed to Apollo Hospital.
Dr. H Ravikumar of Apollo Hospital said the injured housekeeping workers were brought to the hospital at 3 PM. “Lakshmamma sustained severe injuries on her head and a CT scan was done as the blood was clotted in her head. Now she is responding to the treatment. However, we’ll keep her in ICU for another 24 hours,” the doctor said.
The wall collapse created panic at the mall. All multiplex movie shows were cancelled and security guards sent all visitors outside as a precautionary measure. A large crowd also gathered outside the mall premises, causing a heavy traffic jam near the Nataraja Theatre and Seshadripuram. Police and firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
“I’ll go to the spot and verify everything. I’ll take action if security measures are not implemented. We’ll not compromise on this matter at any cost,” said Dinesh Gundu Rao, KPCC working president and the local MLA.
Mayor G Padmavati was also present at the spot. She asked officers to give a comprehensive report on this incident. The BBMP withdrew the occupancy certificate of the building and ordered the building to be closed till a report was submitted by its officers.
“Our customers are our first priority. Hence we vacated them from the mall immediately. The part that collapsed was not open for the public and the public were not using it. Our technical team has confirmed that the collapse has not damaged the whole building. However, the mall is closed temporarily to the public,” said Aditya Sikri, CEO, Mantri Square.
