After portions of two buildings in Connaught Place collapsed within 10 days this month, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Tuesday announced that it had set up 15 teams to inspect buildings in the 84-year-old commercial centre.
In a statement, the NDMC said that the teams comprising “technical officers” from various departments would “take stock of the condition” of buildings in Connaught Place. These teams would be supervised by the Chief Engineers, Chief Architect and the Director and Medical Official of Health department. The report would be submitted within two days.
The NDMC’s decision comes in the wake of two incidents that put into focus the structural safety of the iconic Connaught Place buildings. On February 2, the first floor of a building in C-Block collapsed. Then on February 11, the roof of another building in L-Block caved in.
The teams will look for structural stress as well as identify all rooftop utilities, including water tanks and diesel generator sets, that have been installed.
According to the NDMC’s preliminary inquiry into the February 2 incident, the added load from rooftop installations could have weakened the structure, leading to the collapse.
The inspection teams would also be giving an estimate of how much load has been put on each building and whether there are any other potential causes of stress, including seepage of moisture. The NDMC said that action would be taken against any building that is “found in a ruinous condition or in any way dangerous” as per the provisions of the NDMC Act.
