The Hindu 13.02.2010
Check for safety measures before buying property in a building
| A series of mishaps that took away lives in the city has brought into sharp focus the way construction activity is planned, completed and used, writes T. LALITH SINGH |
Photo: Nagara Gopal 
Man-made hazard: A building which collapsed due to poor construction. –
A series of mishaps from rampaging fire to collapsing structures that took away lives in the city has brought into sharp focus the way construction activity is planned, completed and used. Though a complete set of processes and procedures are in place to ensure that structures stand strong and not come down crumbling or fall victim to a single spark of fire, recent events put a question on whether the due procedures are followed.
If laid down practices are ignored by the builders that put structures and those building them or living in them at peril, then equally responsible are those who are supposed to monitor and ensure the implementation. While the local body has time and again brought out guidelines and reviewed them, the same are found more in violation than practise. Standards are specified in the National Building Code and even material and workmanship is expected to be of good quality confirming to the Bureau of Indian Standards and Specifications, but to what extent the same are followed happens to be the question.
Those taking up construction of high rise buildings are to give an undertaking certifying that the erection, re-erection of material, alteration or demolition will be carried out under supervision and also take responsibility for the structural and other safety of the building during construction and after completion.
Apart from detailed plan floor plans of all the floors, structural drawings and detail specifications certified by qualified structural engineer, they are to furnish prior clearance from the departments such as fire services, APTRANSCO and HMWSSB. Soil test report and structural stability certificate also are the other requirements.
At different stages of construction, appropriate and adequate monitoring is called for to ensure that the structural stability is being maintained with qualified experts but the same hardly is followed by many builders. For the issue of occupancy certificate for buildings above 10 metres, the local authority has to insist on a certificate by the architect that the structure was completed as per sanctioned plan, a structural stability certificate from structural engineer and extract of the site register containing inspection of site engineer, structural engineer and architect.
In fact, no construction is to be taken up without engaging the services of architect, structural engineer, site engineer and buildings coming up without their services are to be treated as ‘construction without permission’.
The building service works such as sanitation, plumbing, fire safety requirements, lifts, electrical installations and other utility services have to be executed under the planning, design and supervision of qualified and competent technical personnel.
There are checkpoints at different levels. And also before buyers of property in a particular property actually conclude a transaction, they are exposed to go through all the details. For this purpose, the builder is expected to exhibit the approved plan with details showing elevation and section at the project site for the perusal of a buyer. If only proper planning, usage of right material, deployment of qualified and trained personnel are involved in construction of a building and the construction progress is monitored and necessary check points are followed by architects, builders, local bodies and also buyers, then perhaps the scope of mishaps could be minimised to large extent.
