Safety fencing in the balconies is most important as this will provide complete safety of the home buyer and the family.
The death of a 13-yr-old boy, who fell from the garden area of level four at Lodha Bellisimo, Lower Parel, has brought the topic to the fore about what more developers need to do to keep the sky garden safe and even the homes on the higher floors.
Developers say that having a taller parapet wall and no offset for kids to climb it is to be done. For home balconies they suggest residents should have grilles, which can be opened, on the windows.
"While constructing a sky garden, developers should make sure to construct parapet walls at a decent height. Secondly, make sure the walls are barricaded. The main concern here is to ensure that the parents and security guards are more vigilant and take all the necessary precautions to avoid such situations," said Rajan Bandelkar, president of NAREDCO West, an apex real estate body.
For homes, he said, "The grilles should only be locked when residents go out for more than a day or two. It is advisable for developers as well as homebuyers to install fully-covered enclosures with a partial opening which can be utilized in case of an emergency."
Podium gardens in high-rises have become a trend. With the advent of technology, the basic purpose is to construct safer buildings, says Swadesh Anand, director of engineering, procurement and construction at Paradigm Realty.
He says that, while constructing a garden, things to be kept in mind should be proper water removal technique and waterproofing should be taken care of so that no leakage is formed, installation of solar powered or movement sensitive outdoor lighting along paths, especially near steps or bends, etc.
"Safety fencing in the balconies is most important as this will provide complete safety of the home buyer and the family. Use of high quality railings like glass and railings should be used as it is important and assures complete safety. Importance of grill installation in every apartment should be a mandatory decision the developers should take into account. Railings with or without glass can be used for sky gardens. These measures can be helpful in preventing such mishaps," said Anand.
But not all developer agree that grilles are as important as they used to be. According to Ashok Mohanani, chairman EKTA World, and vice president NAREDCO West, metal grills hamper work during emergencies. "In every construction, the fire alarms and less usage of bar grills should be made mandatory for residential safety."
When contacted, Lodha Developers did not offer any comment from their side.
Past Cases Of Balcony Mishaps
August 10, 2018: Tejas Dubey, a 32-year-old IT professional, who had just returned from Belgium, dies after falling off the sixth floor of a residential building in Santacruz
November 8, 2017: Umesh Devase, a four-year-old boy, loses life after falling from the balcony of a 12th floor flat in a residential building in Titwala
March 19, 2017: Two-year-old Yashi Shah dies after she slips through the gap in the safety grill of her balcony and falls from the fourth floor of a building in Kandivli
May 1, 2016: Nitin David Nair, a 35-year-old estate agent, dies after falling off the balcony of a Versova building
May 9, 2012: Abhishek Gupta, a five-year-old boy, falls to death from the fourth-floor balcony of a Kalbadevi guest house
Compiled by DNA-Research N Archives
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