A unique video emerged from Mumbai which shows a man punching a wall as he was checking the quality of the wall. In the video, the wall gets cracked as soon as he punches it. The wall of Rs 3.5 crore flat fell down with a simple punch due to its poor quality construction. The clip was uploaded by Krishnaraj Rao, activist and friend of home owner, Shilpi Thard.
It is to be noted that Shilpi Thard and husband Amit Jaisingh invested whooping Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 2.5 crore for two flats in 2012. They purchased two apartments in the renowned Lodha project in New Cuffe Parade, Wadala. However, when they were handed over the keys of these two flats in February 2018, they were disappointed.
Their dreams were shattered and since then Thard has been uploading videos with her friend showing the low quality of her home at New Cuffe Parade, established in Wadala’s Lodha Group complex. The material details of the wall was revealed when she authorized an architect to check the quality of the apartment. It was established that the walls are made from gypsum board also called drywall.
The duo has been sharing videos on social media regarding the incident from November last year. On 9 January 2019, Shilpi in a notice was asked by representatives of Lodha group to remove the first video they had uploaded regarding the case titled “How safe are Lodha’s NCP flats against burglars?”.
Talking to a media website, Shilpi had said, “When I got it checked by an architect, the expert pointed out that the walls lack sturdiness, durability and are susceptible to water seepage.”
“I received a notice from the developer to pull down the video, Shilpa said.
“When I tapped on it(gypsum made walls), it sounded hollow, and when I banged on it, it broke. Will the wall even support my shelves?”, the homeowner added.
In the latest video(published on January 13) that is doing the rounds on the internet, Rao can be seen breaking the wall with minimal efforts. He then describes the contents of the wall, saying, “It is anything but water resistance.” While talking about the strength of the insulation in the wall, he said, “if I had a dog, he’ll probably go through it.”
Two days later, Rao had posted another video in which he was stopped from entering the apartment even though he was accompanied by the house owner Shilpi herself.
Meanwhile the spokesperson for the Lodha Group had said, “We welcome these so-called unhappy residents to approach the court. We received extortion demands from two individuals who are behind the WhatsApp video.”
Shilpi attained the possession of the apartment in February, 2018.
