The Hindu 02.05.2013
Efforts that will make buildings safer
LPA can demolish structures if safety norms not followed
Following the fire at Vigneshwar Cresta on Avanashi Road that claimed four lives last week, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) and Coimbatore Corporation have started sealing unauthorised structures and a team of officials from different departments are inspecting the public buildings in the city.
The immediate focus is on public buildings, especially those under construction or those that were just constructed. The Coimbatore Corporation and the LPA have identified 201 structures for action and are placing these buildings under seal. The building owners can go for appeal, apply for regularisation, or provide the mandatory safety systems. The LPA can demolish the structures if the required action is not taken.
Will these efforts make the public, multi-storeyed and special buildings in the city safer and ensure that all these structures comply with the norms?
There are buildings in the city that were served notice by the department concerned even seven or eight years ago but have not taken the required action, points out K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause.
“If the existing structures that do not comply with the norms need to be brought down, probably there will be thousands in the city. Preventive action should be taken so that there are no more violations and the number of buildings that can get added to the list of existing structures with violations should be controlled,” he adds.
Some of the States are working on ways to stop unauthorised constructions. Stringent steps by the local body and the electricity department can help bring down unauthorised constructions.
The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation should not provide electricity supply to buildings that do not have the required approvals or the completion certificate from the competent authority. The local body should not assess the building for property tax and should not provide water connection. This will ensure that buildings get the required approvals and adopt the safety norms, he says.
Details of the approval procedure are available on: http://www.tn.gov.in/tcp/building_plan.html
