The Times of India               07.12.2013

50% highrises in Kozhikode violate building rules

KOZHIKODE: A random survey found that nearly 50% of high-rise buildings in Kozhikode Corporation have violated the Kerala Municipality Building Rules (KMBR).

A team led by Eapen Varghese, chief town planner in the vigilance wing of the Kerala state local self-government body department, found that 50% buildings have violated the rules. The inspections were conducted at 25 high-rise buildings in the corporation limit.

The team visited the sites on the direction given by chief minister Oommen Chandy to urban Affairs minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali on the basis of complaint of Campaign Committee Against Corruption.

K P Vijayakumar, convener of the committee, urged the chief minister to conduct detail inquiry into irregularities in the sanctioning of building plans in the city corporation limit from 2005 to 2012.

The team conducted two -day inspections in the sites of buildings constructed on more than 5,000 square metres area and above five storey in the corporation limit.

The team comprising chief town planner (vigilance) and northern zone town planner (vigilance) K V Abdul Malik visited the construction sites. It found violations of building rules in providing side open spaces and parking space.

The buildings don't have sufficient side open spaces and parking space in comparison to its size. Usually, a parking unit is given for 60 to 150 square metres in buildings, which is missing in many high rise buildings.

The team members said that these violations can be rectified in some of the under construction buildings. The officials have directed the city corporation to provide details about plans of all the high-rise buildings which were found violating the rules. The team will submit the report to the state after checking all the documents related to the building plans at the corporation as well as the building owners.

The officials have also found that the waste disposal systems set up at majority of the buildings are not functional. The state will direct the corporation to demolis illegally constructed portions of the buildings after submitting the report. The corporation had given permission for building plans during 2008 to 2012.

Though the team members have asked the city corporation authorities to provide files on a total of 100 buildings, the civic body had given files of only 15 high rise buildings.

The team members have also come across instances of architects preparing structural drawings of buildings violating the KMBR.