Urban News

The Deccan Chronicle  19.08.2010

Chennai, Aug. 18: Chennai corporation has taken up a new first-of-its-kind initiative under which it would identify buildings prone to earthquake and floods. It has developed a global information system application under which high-rise buildings in Chennai are now examined through satellite images. “The buildings vulnerable to seismic activities will be inspected by corporation engineers and they would suggest remedial me-asures,” corporation com-missioner Rajesh Lakhoni said.

The objective is to create a safe road map for Chennai that would reduce the effect of any natural disaster. The pilot project has begun and will be implemented in a phased manner. So far, there is no specific detailed study in this regard and as part of the disaster reduction campaign, the corporation will also release a climate and disaster resilience index (CDRI) report, Mr Lakhoni added. According to corporation engineer N. Mathavan, co-ordinator, CDRI st-udy, using satellite images the dimensions of buildings will be studied and in case the civil engineers opine that any building was prone to disasters, they would be examined to improve safety. Divisional-level engineers of the corporation and civil engineering college students would be deployed and Madras varsity will provide technical expertise for the project. It will also help the corporation identify safety thoroughfares and buildings for evacuation.

The Deccan Chronicle  18.08.2010

Aug. 17: In Tamil Nadu more illegal structures on public land than any other state. With a massive 77,453 such buildings across the state, including unauthorised religious structures, it is little wonder free flow of traffic is hindered in many TN cities. The state government recently submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court disclosing the number of unauthorised religious structures in parks and on streets which need to be removed, replaced or regularised.

Tamil Nadu is followed by Rajasthan with 58,253 such structures and Madhya Pradesh, with 51,624. According to sources, the Supreme Court bench has sought an action plan from the state government to identify such structures and come out with an action plan to remove them.

The court had also directed the governments to frame a policy to check the mushrooming of unauthorised religious structures in public places, including streets and parks. Maharashtra has 17,385 such structures, Gujarat 15,000 and Karnataka 2,814.

In Tamil Nadu, there are state- and district-level committees to tackle the issue. “If the committee finds a structure was built unlawfully and is causing inconvenience to the people, it will be removed. The committee meets periodically and analyses cases one by one,” a senior official said. If a structure has historical value, the authorities have been asked to provide suitable sites for its relocation.

The Chennai Corporation, prompted by the high court, has identified around 150 illegal religious structures mostly in north Chennai. While the civic body has ordered eviction of these illegal structures as they affect traffic flow, efforts to remove the encroachments are progressing at snail’s pace.“We have removed 30 such religious structures encroached upon city roads so far. The list is long and we will remove other structures in due course of time. We are focusing mainly on arterial roads and bus routes,” mayor M. Subramaniam told Deccan Chronicle.