In an unprecedented move for India’s real estate sector, a major real estate developer in Bengaluru has voluntarily decided to demolish a newly completed 18-storey residential tower and rebuild it from scratch at its own expense.
While high-rise demolitions in India have previously been ordered by courts due to legal or environmental violations, this marks the first time a developer in India has chosen to raze a completed building after discovering a safety flaw during internal checks—even after receiving an official Occupancy Certificate (OC).
What Happened at the Site?
The incident occurred at the SNN Raj Etternia township project located in Kudlu, South Bengaluru. The entire complex consists of 15 towers and nearly 970 apartments, with over 800 homes already handed over safely to residents.
However, during final quality checks and water-load testing on Block E-3—an 18-storey tower with 49 premium apartments—engineers noticed subtle driveway undulations near the structure. Advanced technical monitoring revealed that the 60-meter-tall building had developed a 20-centimeter (200 mm) tilt.
Though the tilt was imperceptible to the human eye and the structure showed no visible cracks or surface damage, the developer immediately suspended handovers to investigate.
What Caused the Building to Tilt?
The building’s tilt was caused by a critical error made during the pre-construction soil testing phase, rather than poor-quality construction materials:
- Swapped Soil Data: An external soil testing agency accidentally swapped borehole reading numbers in its initial pre-construction soil report.
- Incorrect Foundation Baseline: The initial report indicated that the ground beneath Block E-3 was solid rock. In reality, deep soil layers (30 to 40 meters down) contained soft, loose soil.
- Differential Settlement: Because the foundation was designed assuming solid rock, the heavy weight of the completed 18-storey tower caused the soft soil underneath to compress unevenly over time, resulting in a slight lean.
A second soil test conducted by a different agency caught the data swap and confirmed the root cause.
How Will the 18-Storey Building Be Demolished?
Structural consultants recommended retrofitting via micro-piling to stabilize the foundation. However,
SNN Raj Corp Director Anuj Sanjay Jain stated that while micro-piling would work in the short term, there remained a residual risk of structural issues 10 to 15 years down the line. The company opted for complete demolition to guarantee 100% safety.
Instead of using explosive implosions—which create heavy dust clouds, loud noise, and ground vibrations—the developer selected a controlled dismantling technique designed to keep the surrounding occupied residential township safe.
The Diamond Wire Cutting Method
The dismantling work is being carried out by Edifice Engineering, a specialist firm known for high-profile urban demolitions like the Noida Twin Towers demolition.
- How It Works: The team is using diamond wire rope cutting technology. This method uses diamond-coated wire saws to cleanly slice through reinforced concrete beams, floor slabs, and heavy steel pillars with extreme precision.
- Controlled Removal: Once cut, heavy-duty cranes carefully lift away the concrete sections one by one.
- Minimal Impact: This mechanical cutting technique creates minimal vibration, low noise, and minimal dust, ensuring that the surrounding 14 occupied towers in the township remain completely safe and undisturbed.
Dismantling is estimated to take 5 to 6 months, followed by 18 months for full reconstruction.
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| DEMOLITION & REBUILD TIMELINE |
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| Phase 1: Controlled Dismantling (Months 1 – 6)
| • Uses Diamond Wire Rope Cutting to cleanly slice concrete blocks.
| • Crane lifts sections away; zero blasting, minimal dust/noise.
| Phase 2: Full Reconstruction (Months 7 – 24)
| • Corrected deep foundation poured based on verified soil data.
| • Rebuilding of all 49 apartments completed.
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Full Financial Protection for Homebuyers
To protect the 49 affected home buyers, the developer is absorbing the entire ₹20 crore loss required for demolition and rebuilding.
KRERA also advised the developer to directly work with allottees to cover their individual rent and EMI expenses throughout the delay.
- Zero Financial Burden: Buyers do not have to pay anything extra for the demolition or reconstruction.
- EMI and Rent Coverage: The developer is paying monthly compensation to all 49 buyers during the two-year rebuilding phase to cover their rented accommodation costs and ongoing home loan EMIs.
RERA Section 6: Protecting Homebuyers and Bank Loans During Rebuilding
When an 18-storey tower with an Occupancy Certificate (OC) needs to be demolished and rebuilt, its original RERA registration would normally have expired. Instead of treating this as a brand-new project, the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (KRERA) is using Section 6 of the RERA Act, 2016 to grant a registration extension.
This extension provides vital legal continuity. It allows banks to keep ongoing home loans active for all 49 buyers without regulatory hurdles during the 24-month reconstruction period. Recognizing that this goes far beyond minor defect repairs.
What Homebuyers Must Check Beyond the Brochure
This case proves that a attractive brochure, prime location, and an official Occupancy Certificate (OC) do not automatically guarantee structural safety. Real estate experts advise prospective buyers to verify key technical details before making a purchase:
- Request Geotechnical Soil Reports: Ensure thorough deep-soil testing was conducted to match the foundation type to actual ground conditions.
- Verify Professional Licensing: Confirm that qualified, licensed agencies were hired for both soil testing and structural design.
- Ask for Quality Control Records: Seek access to third-party structural audit reports and quality inspection logs before taking possession.
- Exercise Caution Near Wetlands: If buying property near reclaimed lakebeds, low-lying zones, or former marshlands, ensure deep-soil evaluations were performed, as soft soil is significantly more prone to settlement issues.
Smart Due Diligence: Essential Tools for Developers and Buyers
The Bengaluru tilted tower incident proves that even minor pre-construction oversights can lead to massive financial and structural risks. To prevent costly technical errors, developers can utilize the corporate services of Verified Real Estate’s Residential Developers & Land Buyers to conduct thorough pre-construction checks—including rigorous geotechnical soil testing, deep foundation analysis, and independent structural audits—ensuring total accuracy before breaking ground.
For homebuyers, relying solely on brochures is no longer enough. Before making an investment, buyers can use LandLens’ “Verify My Land“ service to independently evaluate any property. This tool provides vital insights into deep soil stability, flood zone histories, elevation levels, and surrounding area risks, empowering buyers to make completely safe, informed decisions.