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The Excellency’s collapse unearths unauthorised constructions aplenty
The scene of destruction. Pix by Indika Handuwala
With heavy rains hampering the Tri-forces’ search for survivors on Friday (19) among the rubble of the illegally built five storeyed building in Wellawatta which collapsed, agitated next-of-kin of missing persons were searching for the owner and management, demanding answers.
They queried why the management of the collapsed banquet hall, ‘The Excellency’, well-known for hosting functions, is absconding.
The collapse left two dead and 23 injured, including construction workers. A woman from Moratuwa who were working there, was still missing
Pannadiyan Parameswaran, a plantation worker from Craigie Lea Estate in Dimbulla, Hatton came to Colombo on Friday (19) on hearing that, his elder brother’s son, Ramar Niroshan (20), who was working at the banquet hall, was missing.
Niroshan joined the banquet hall a month ago as a minor employee, because his family was struggling to make ends meet. His family said he left for work after the Vesak holidays, saying there were many functions scheduled to be held at the hall.
CCTV footage released by authorities, showed employees busy decorating head tables in the banquet hall for a function prior to the collapse, and then running for their lives when they saw the opposite wall collapsing towards them.
Rescue operations in progress
“Nobody is giving us definite answers on what happened to him, not even the police. They are not giving information on how many reported to work on that day and how many were still trapped inside. We still don’t know what exactly happened to him,” Parameswaran told the Sunday Times on Friday, while alleging that authorities are not issuing information on the hotel staff and management, even two days after the disaster. However, on Saturday, a body of a youth was pulled out of the debris. The body was yet to be officialy identified last evening, though his friends claimed it was Niroshan.
Mr. Parameswaran said he and his friends found the CCTV footage hard-drive in the rubble, while assisting troops in the search process. “We appreciate what the forces are doing here, but we feel, if the search was carried out efficiently, they could have saved other lives too.”
A 52-year-old woman from Moratuwa is also believed to be trapped under the rubble.
On Friday (19) evening, the next-of-kin of the missing, apprehended a housekeeping supervisor, Mohammed Hassan, near the premises, and demanded to know the whereabouts of the management. He said he was off duty on that day and not sure how many reported for work.
“I was only reporting to the manager. I have been told that a person called ‘Shajahan’ was the owner of the building, whom I have seen only once. I told the victim’s relatives that I have given all relevant information to the police,” Hassan told the Sunday Times.
Attempts by the Sunday Times to speak to the owner of the building was not successful. Eyewitnesses said the owner had visited the location on Friday (19), but those present had not been able to identify him.
The day after the incident, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) declared that the building was illegally constructed without meeting proper requirements for such a multistorey building adjoining a canal.
UDA Chairman, Dr. Jagath Munasinghe told the Sunday Times that, initially, a building permit was granted by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) for a three-storey building.
The way it was : The banquet hall
“They did not secure a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for the use of the building, and the additional construction on the original structure was without a building permit,” he said. He pointed out the structure being located alongside the Wellawatte canal and hence, the building has to be 20 feet away from the canal for a canal reserve. “As a building permit had not been obtained, the construction was unsupervised, which prompted the collapse due to structural failures.”
Meanwhile, CMC Commissioner V.K.A. Anura confirmed issuance of a building permit only for its construction, while a CoC for its occupation and use was not secured. “A CMC survey has found the construction of many illegal buildings, without proper approvals, for which we have issued notices for possible legal action.”
He said permission for the initial construction had not been granted during his tenure, and the “go ahead” for this project was given by the previous administration.
He said he was in the process of taking action against the owner of this illegally constructed building . He said a survey carried out by his office in February found this building failed to meet the required standardss.
“We were to recommend necessary changes in the building’s structure while imposing fines or, demolish the building, for non-compliance with our suggestions,” he said.
Minister of Megapolis & Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said at a press briefing that, a sample survey by the ministry in February, revealed 1,800 unauthorised buildings along the Wellawatta- Bambalapitiya stretch.
“We suspect there are over 10,000 illegal buildings in the Colombo District, and we have sought assistance from the Dept of Census & Statistics to conduct a complete survey to identify unauthorised and substandard living spaces, to institute strict legal action against those responsible,” he said.
Suneth Malinda, a construction worker employed for more than three months, recalled his narrow escape from death as harrowing.
“It was like any other working day. Everybody was busy with the work assigned to them. Around 10.45 am, on our return from the tea break, we felt a sudden vibration, and the next moment, we saw the entire rear part of the building collapsing. We ran towards the front of the building.”
Malinda added that, when the structure collapsed and struck the bottom, there was a loud noise like an explosion, giving rise to a series of tremors through the remainder of the building.
“A worker hearing our cry for help, lowered a rope from outside, which enabled us to haul ourselves from the wreck of the building. There were many people working at the site, but I’m not sure of the number,” he said.
An employee at Savoy building located adjacent to and in front of the collapsed building said that, in the recent past, they had complained to ‘The Excellency’s management of cracks opening in their wall, but they went ahead with the construction.
Meanwhile, police said they had launched an investigation into the disaster to determine the culprits directly or indirectly, responsible for this incident.
V. Thanapathy, an elderly tailor in a nearby shop went out to have tea around 10.45 am, when he heard an unusual thunderous sound and a huge cloud of dust rising from behind the Savoy cinema.
“I felt a tremor. There people were running towards the banquet hall. I saw a person struggling to stand up with his body covered in dust. We stopped a trishaw and sent him to hospital,” he said.
Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of Wellawatta police, Chief Inspector Kapila Wijeymanna told the Sunday Times that, as inquiries into this incident by various agencies are underway, they will complete the final inquiry shortly. “Legal action will be taken against those responsible for this incident, once inquires are completed.”
| Missing youth’s next-of-kin protest at official silence | |
 The protest by the missing youth's loved ones Pic by G. Krishanthan As rescue operations continued for survivors in the collapsed building, relatives of one of the missing persons from Pathana, staged a protest yesterday, urging the authorities to step up the search process.  Ramar Niroshan Hailing from Craigie Lea Estate, Dimbulla, in Hatton, Ramar Niroshan (20) went to Colombo in search of a job to support his family, and found work as a minor employee, a month ago, at the banquet hall in Wellawatta. The protesters alleged that govt. officials involved in rescue operations are not providing adequate information on their missing loved-one, even after three days. Following the protest, they organised religious observances in a nearby temple. A body of a youth was found from the site yesterday, but the identity was yet to be established by the family members. |
| Police say search on for owner | |
| Police claim they have launched a search operation to arrest the owner. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rohan Dias told the Sunday Times that the owner of the building had not produced himself at the police and therefore a search was ordered last morning. “We have collected evidence to suggest that the construction was not in accordance with the plans approved and we hope to produce the evidence in courts,” he said. Meanwhile the banquet hall’s General Manager T.M. Saldin claimed that he had quit his job a day before the incident and was not aware of the whereabouts of the owner. |