TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Residents of Aquem woke up to a loud sound in the wee hours of Sunday, only to find their cars and motorcycles buried under the debris of a 15-20 meter-long retaining wall which caved in at around 5 am following overnight incessant rains.
Around four to six four-wheelers and seven two-wheelers, which were parked in the compound of Dawood Residency and adjoining Pratibha Society were damaged, causing a loss of around Rs 18-20 lakh.
The incident occurred at around 5 am when was a loud sound in the area, leaving the residents to wonder whether it was struck by lightning. A resident of Pratibha Society Anil Pai told Herald that he opened his window at 5 am, he could see the motorcycles and cars under the debris. “I immediately contacted my ward councillor Damu Shirodkar and both of us called up the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, district collector and police and fire services to take up rescue measures”, he said.
Pai said the retaining wall caved in, saying that it was not built on strong foundation and was coming in the way of the water flow, while saying the retaining wall now poses danger to the Pratibha Society. Kamat said District Collector Venancio Furtado was quick to report at the site and was mobilising the agencies. People around, however, said the crane took time to reach the site.
Margao Station Fire Officer Gill De Souza said the builder has been told to cover the area with tarpaulin sheets because of the heavy rains predicted in the next two days. “The retaining wall has collapsed because of the weak foundation”, he said, adding that the remaining portion of the retaining wall indeed poses danger.
