Hindustan Times  10.12.2010

In a move aimed at weeding out corruption, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to transfer 30 engineers working in its building department to other 'less-sensitive' wings. According to sources, the decision was taken at a high-level meeting, where it was suggested that officials with corruption or criminal charges against them should be transferred to other 'less-sensitive' departments so that dealings between the civic body and property owners remain clean.

The move comes in the wake of complaints against civic officials demanding bribe from property owners. To get a building plan sanctioned, people have to bribe the junior officials to move their files.

Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of the works committee, said the civic body had planned to remove tainted officials last year as well, but could not go ahead with the plan due to political pressure.

"Last year, too, we wanted to remove them. However, some of them had the backing of politicians. So, we were unable to take action. But this time they will have to go," he said.

In the same meeting, it was discussed that the ongoing demolition drive by the civic body should focus mainly on unsafe buildings and those which stand taller than 15 metres.

At present, the sealing drive of the civic body is targeting buildings that are either sub-divided or are compoundable.

While subdivided buildings are properties that have been divided into two parts by the owners without taking permission from the civic body, compoundable structures are buildings that stand 15 metres tall, but have been built without approval.

According to Mamgain, these two categories of buildings could be legalised following a registration procedure. So, they should be "spared at present and all focus should be on unsafe buildings".

"There are one lakh properties that are either subdivided or are compoundable. Since the MCD can't demolish all of them, it should focus on ongoing constructions that are being carried out without approval," he said.

"Also, since such buildings pose major risk, they should be demolished first," he said.

The Times of India         10.12.2010

Sealing drive: AMC to target residential flats after Dec 22

AHMEDABAD: It is high time that high rise residential apartments in the city geared up to refurbish their fire safety systems. Post December 22, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will start sealing high rise apartments, if they are found without functional fire safety equipments.

Till now, it was the commercial complexes that were being targeted. On Thursday, Nar Narayan complex in Navrangpura was sealed near Swastik crossroads, just because its fire safety system was not up to the mark.

"This will put many residential societies in a fix as the sealing drive is being directly monitored by the high court. The AMC has no say in this drive. We are dreading that we will be forced to evict families just because their building fire safety system is not in place. The high court is not willing to take a lenient view on this issue," says a senior AMC official involved in the sealing drive.

As far as the fire safety equipments are concerned, the designated societies have to look for certain basic aspects. For instance, the sprinklers in the basement should be operational. Fire pumps and hoses should be functional, carbon dioxide extinguisher should be on each floor and dry powder extinguisher should be available on alternate floors. Each building should be compulsory having a 'break glass' alarm system for fire safety.