The district administration is taking up inspection of buildings under construction and proposing to inspect that are in use for structural stability, it appears, have thrown more questions than provided solutions to the issue of unauthorised and structurally weak construction.
The seven teams that are in the district checking commercial, multi-storeyed buildings are looking more at building plan violation than structural stability, say sources. For, the teams do not have people with the requisite qualification to check structural stability.
The teams consist of officials from the Local Planning Authority, Coimbatore Corporation and the Public Works Department.
The lack of expertise came for discussion at the meeting the district officials held a couple of days ago.
At the meeting, the officials decided that the local body – Coimbatore Corporation, municipalities, assistant director of town panchayats and assistant director of panchayats – will conduct the inspection for structural stability. But given the lack of expertise, they did not say how this will be done.
The sources say that the local bodies taking up the inspection have raised questions like how will they carry out the inspection, at what stage of construction will they check – foundation, basement, lintel or roof, will they also check quality of materials, etc.
The local body officials felt that the move will only increase red-tapism and lead to corruption.
The move to rope in the buildings wing of the Public Works Department for the job also did not yield the desired result as the officials said that they were short of staff and again did not have the expertise.
One of the ideas that was put forth at the meeting was to avail of the services of professors at the government, government-aided engineering colleges for the purpose. But it was not taken up further.
From the local bodies, the sources say, it was suggested to ask the builders to give a self declaration stating that the buildings they construct are safe, as this was the best possible step available at present.
As for the commercial, multi-storeyed buildings that are in use, the district administration has planned to take them up for inspection after July 15, by which time it will have inspected all the 46 buildings under construction.
Criticising the inspection as a kneejerk reaction that has come in the wake of a tragedy, Coimbatore Consumer Cause’s K. Kathirmathiyon has said that the State Government must make it mandatory for property developers to engage certified structural engineers who will certify safety of the building.
This act of holding them responsible for the buildings they certify will ensure that the buildings constructed are structurally safe.
