The Indian Express                20.08.2013

Civic panel to audit buildings over 30 years old in pipeline

“It is at a preliminary stage but the corporation has decided to
form a panel of certified architects and structural engineers registered
with the BMC, who will be available to citizens for examining buildings
over 30 years old. The panel will declare whether the buildings are
safe for habitation or not. Work in this regard is going on between the
Development Plan department and the municipal commissioner,” said
additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani.

After a spate of building collapses at the start of the monsoon
this year that collectively killed 17 persons and injured 14, BMC issued
a public notice in June. The civic body demanded the structural audit
reports of all privately-owned buildings in Mumbai over 30 years of age,
as mandated by section 353 (B) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Act of
1888. The reports, to be compiled by architects registered with BMC, had
to be submitted to the civic body within 30 days.

“After the notice was published, people were finding it tough to
find auditors registered with BMC who could perform the appraisal. In
many cases, we also found that residents had paid architects and
engineers for structural audit certificates to avoid vacating their
buildings if declared unfit for living in. This is dangerous as the
civic body, then, does not have an accurate account of the dangerous and
dilapidated buildings in the city,” said a senior BMC official.

According to the corporation’s disaster management cell, of 959
highly dangerous and dilapidated buildings identified prior to the start
of this monsoon season, over 60 per cent were privately-owned (606). A
large number of these, around 89 or 15 per cent, were registered in the
L-ward comprising Kurla alone.

Though the civic administration claims that all 155 dilapidated
structures in its own possession have been vacated, civic officials say
the MMC Act of 1888 is only advisory in nature for dealing with
privately-owned buildings.

“While residents (landlord or flat-owners) must conduct
structural audits of private buildings over 30 years old, and follow-up
audits after every 10 years, as per the laws, there are no provisions
for penalising defaulters. This reduces our ability to effectively guard
against fatal building collapses. It is a social issue when dealing
with privately-owned dilapidated buildings as we cannot force people out
of their homes. Their transit accommodation has to be acquired
privately,” the official said.

However, civic officials are also seeking legal backing through
the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, for vacating citizens from
highly dangerous and dilapidated private structures.