Bylaws creating difficulty in classifying unsafe buildings
The building bylaws of 1983 have no provision for the structural safety and stability of existing buildings. More perturbing is the data from the Susceptibility Atlas of India (2007), which shows that out of 33.8 lakh buildings, over 31 lakh are at medium risk during an earthquake and 1.46 lakh are at high risk. On a day LG Najeeb Jung issued orders for recognizing disaster-prone buildings, the ground reality stays grim.
Citing the need to incorporate structural safety standards, including codes by Bureau of Indian Standards in the bylaws, the figures were cited by the revenue department in the letters issued in March to the corporations and urban development department.
Although no final policy document has been circulated yet, a cell was constituted for retrofitting along with an advisory group with specialists to make policy and review building bylaws. In the aftermath of the Lalita Park building collapse in east Delhi, an inquiry committee had recommended the formulation of a policy on retrofitting and reconstruction of unsafe buildings. DDA was assigned the task by then LG Tejendra Khanna in 2012.
The authority wanted these to be part of the building bylaws. After the Uttarakhand disaster, Delhi Disaster Management Authority wanted a framework making it mandatory for all buildings to adhere to the safety norms by BIS.
DDMA’s condition apply to fresh buildings in planned areas. South Corporation commissioner Manish Gupta pointed to the amendments in 2001 needful applicants to submit a structural stability certificate.DDMA says “Connaught Place, numerous district centres and sprouting highrises are at risk due to vertical development.” The Walled City, trans-Yamuna area and pockets of unplanned settlements also figure as high-risk zones due to substandard work.
Source: Times of India
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