BENGALURU: The geotechnical investigation report prepared for SNN Raj Etternia is pivotal in the ongoing dispute between developer SNN Raj Corp and Nagadi Consultants regarding the cause of tilting in an 18-storey tower within the apartment complex.
The affected tower is one of 15 in the 972-unit township located near Kudlu. SNN has asserted that the other 14 towers are structurally sound.
Nagadi’s geotechnical report, dated September 2022, indicates that a section of the project site was previously a quarry filled with soil, debris, and other materials, which was factored into the investigation.
During the investigation, varying subsurface conditions were identified throughout the site. While most boreholes encountered rock at shallow depths, one borehole (BH4) showed nearly 12 metres of fill before reaching stable rock. Consequently, Nagadi proposed pile foundations for BH4 and suggested shallow isolated or combined footings for the other four borehole locations.
In a statement, Sangamesh, a senior engineer at Nagadi Consultants, clarified that pile foundations were advised where deep fill was found. He indicated that additional investigations were recommended to ascertain the extent of the fill. “If the pile foundation recommendation had been implemented in those areas, the structural issues could have been avoided,” he stated, asserting that the distress resulted from non-implementation of their suggestions.
Conversely, SNN disputes Nagadi’s assertions, claiming that the geotechnical report contained inaccuracies. According to SNN director Anuj Sanjay Jain, the borehole data for the E1 and E3 towers were accidentally swapped, leading to incorrect foundation recommendations.
He added that E3, which should have been recommended for a pile foundation, was instead suggested for a shallow foundation. Jain notes that this discrepancy was only uncovered after construction commenced, when further boreholes drilled by SNN revealed differing subsurface conditions than those indicated in the report.
These conflicting claims have put the geotechnical report at the center of the dispute. While Nagadi asserts that its recommendations were overlooked, SNN contends that erroneous borehole data in the report resulted in the flawed foundation suggestions.
