The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has constituted special teams to inspect all the buildings in the city that have more than one cellar to check for possible violations of construction norms.
The move coming in the wake of the wall collapse at a construction site in Secunderabad that claimed two lives on Saturday has the civic body constituting these teams with officials from the Town Planning and Engineering wings. According to estimates, there could be more than 350 structures, mostly commercial complexes, with multi-cellar facilities.
“These teams formed with ACPs are entrusted with the task of checking each and every of these buildings for norms in terms of setbacks and whether prescribed preventive and precautionary steps and retaining walls are in place or not. The teams have been given three days to give their report,” said P.Venkata Rami Reddy, Additional Commissioner (Planning).
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The steps were also described as required in view of the coming monsoon and to prevent accidents such as the one witnessed last Saturday and to deter builders from violating norms. “Wherever violations are found, notices will be served and if required action is not taken by them, we will even go for even cancellation of building permission if required,” he said.
Also, in case the builders fail to comply with directions on incorporating required measures, the GHMC has the authority to fill and close a cellar facility and then recover the costs involved. “If need arises, we will not hesitate to take such a drastic step,” the Additional Commissioner (Planning) warned.
With monsoon just round the corner, the civic body which took up a drive against dilapidated buildings last year after City Lights Hotel came crumbling down, has decided to call for a meeting with field functionaries of Town Planning and Engineering units. “We have to collect feed back on the status of the drive against dilapidated buildings and initiate fresh actions,” Mr.Reddy added.
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