Meerut: Residents of Dalampada area of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut have been left panic-stricken after cracks developed in nearly 30 houses. In the last 15-20 days, these cracks have widened. Despite conducting an investigation, the district administration failed to identify the reason behind the cracks. Now, a team of IIT Roorkee has been roped in to probe into the matter.
People living in these houses are afraid to sleep at night fearing that the cracked walls may collapse on them at any moment. Dalampada is one of the oldest and busiest areas of Meerut.
Local resident Vipul Jain said that people have been living here for many years but have never witnessed any such problem. "Suddenly cracks have started appearing in the walls and floors. At first, we could not understand anything. Many people engaged construction workers to repair the cracks. It is not that cracks have appeared only in the dilapidated houses, even those that are in good condition are affected," Jain said.
Local residents said that when the district administration was informed, officials of the municipal corporation were sent to inquire into the matter. But, despite several examinations, the officials could not ascertain the reason behind the cracks.
Another resident Shobhit Gupta said that the administration should take some prompt step immediately. "Now, cracks have developed on the floor and walls, who knows tomorrow the houses may collapse. Any major accident can occur. We are unable to sleep at night. The first thing we do after waking up in the morning is to check the condition of the cracks," Gupta said.
District magistrate Deepak Meena said a team of district administration officers was sent to the area. ADM City has been instructed to take necessary steps, he said. On the basis of the report provided by the ADM, preparations are underway to conduct an inquiry by a team of technical experts from IIT Roorkee, Meena said.
"Efforts are on to find out the reason behind the cracks as soon as possible. The administration is very serious about the safety of the people," he added.
