The Chennai Corporation has started identifying dilapidated buildings and advising residents to repair the structures to prevent collapse during heavy rains.
In congested areas such as Sowcarpet, around 100 dilapidated buildings have been identified by the officials of Royapuram zone. “We have issued notices. Many residents have agreed to repair the buildings,” said an official.
In the past, a total of 232 buildings in Royapuram zone were identified. Many of the buildings have been restored and a few have been demolished. This year, 100 buildings have been identified in the zone by the assistant engineers. More buildings along stretches such as NSC Bose Road, Wall Tax Road and Rajaji Salai are expected to receive notices from the Corporation.
During the previous monsoons, more than 10 buildings have collapsed, killing pedestrians and motorists in areas such as George Town.
As per the guidelines of the civic body, the Assistant Engineer of each of the 200 wards in the city would identify the dilapidated buildings and inform Assistant Executive Engineers and Zonal Executive Engineers.
The civic body has formed teams to assess the age, nature and condition of the building. After checking if there are any pending court cases involving the owner and tenant or the Corporation, officials would start issuing notices. According to estimates by the Chennai Corporation, more than 5,000 properties out of the 12 lakh in the property tax database are expected to be dilapidated. “In the southern region covering areas such as Adyar, more than 20 buildings have been issued notice,” said an official.
