The Hindu 09.07.2013
Structural stability policy mooted for old buildings
In the wake of the collapse of City Light Hotel on Monday, the government mooted a proposal for a suitable ‘Comprehensive Building Structural Stability Policy’ to regulate such buildings.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the officials to formulate the policy to regulate vulnerable buildings in consultation with experts and structural engineers to ensure safety of not only inmates of the buildings in question but also people in the neighbourhood.
Monday’s incident brought into sharp focus the lack of application of scientific mechanism for evaluation of structural stability of old buildings. “The collapsed several decades-old hotel building is not apparently included in the list of buildings notified for demolition based on its visual appearance. Therefore a suggestion also came up to constitute an expert committee to thoroughly examine the lacunae in the evaluation of old buildings in the city,” an official said.
GHMC Commissioner T. Krishna Babu informed the Chief Minister that 307 buildings were identified as old and structurally and visually weak by the JNTU as the third party checking agency.
Due care not taken
A senior official explained that many of the old buildings in the city were constructed with load bearing walls unlike pillar based construction that became a norm much later. When new buildings were constructed in the vicinity of the old buildings, due care was not being taken to maintain a safe distance from them. “The old buildings have no deep foundation and when the soil around them is disturbed, the foundation becomes vulnerable and their load bearing walls weaken,” he said.
It is rather common to see constructions deviating from the approved building plans or modifications to existing buildings without approval. The field staff are lax in putting such constructions on notice or turn a blind eye, a senior official observed. “Even in cases where notices have been served for demolitions, they are contested by the owners in the court of law alleging vested interest by the builders and succeed in obtaining stay orders. The GHMC officers mostly don’t take pains to get the stay order vacated,” said sources.
An independent evaluation committee, structural fitness committee outside of government for a fair assessment without any compromise should be considered without any delay, they point out.
It was also proposed that a census be taken of all old buildings and houses particularly those standing on the load bearing walls for evaluating their structural strength.
Chief
Minister directs officials to formulate policy to regulate vulnerable
buildings in consultation with experts and structural engineers.
