Wall Collapse Shock in Ahmedabad: Top Builders Defy Bans, Continue Construction Amid Monsoon Risks

Gross builder negligence coupled with lax municipal oversight has brought high-risk construction hazards to light in Ahmedabad's most elite pockets. Diaphragm retaining walls have collapsed at two major high-rise construction sites—Akshar Group's 'The Empress' in South Bopal and an A. Shridhar project on Sindhu Bhavan Road. Disturbingly, work allegedly continued at the sites despite the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officially suspending their development permissions.

South Bopal Site Ignores AMC Ban as Main Road Collapses

At Akshar Group’s under-construction project, 'The Empress', located on Gymkhana Road in South Bopal, the diaphragm retaining walls collapsed from two sides with a loud crash following seasonal rains. The cave-in severely damaged an adjoining main public road and threatened a neighbouring construction site, leaving the entire area highly unstable.

Following the initial structural failure, the South-West Zone Estate Department of the AMC revoked the site's development permission on July 23. However, workers were spotted actively carrying out core construction tasks instead of executing urgent site-stabilisation repairs.

When questioned, the Deputy Town Development Officer (TDO) for the South-West Zone initially stated a notice was issued on June 5, followed by the cancellation of work permissions on July 23. He promised legal action if construction was found ongoing during the ban, but later claimed the workers were merely performing site-reinforcement work to prevent further wall collapses.

Sindhu Bhavan Road Project Facing Similar Structural Failures

In a parallel incident along the prime Sindhu Bhavan Road corridor, a large section of the diaphragm wall collapsed at an under-construction high-rise project by builder group A. Shridhar. The collapse occurred on July 23, endangering the adjacent Sindhu Bhavan Multilevel Parking facility and the nearby Arista Building.

Officials from the North-West Zone Estate Department confirmed that development permissions for the A. Shridhar site were suspended immediately after the incident to halt all active building work. Officials maintained that main construction activities remain officially suspended while technical teams carry out restoration and wall-strengthening measures at the location.