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With the recent earthquake in southern Turkey causing hundreds of highrise buildings to collapse. The Confederation of NCR Residents Welfare Association (CONRWA) has demanded a structural audit of all residential buildings in Delhi-NCR, particularly in highrises.
The residents’ body sent a letter to Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, stating that because the NCR is in seismic zone 4, which is a high-damage risk zone.
The government should amend the Central Building Rules and require structural audits of all highrise buildings before granting possession. In its letter to the Union minister, the umbrella RWA body also demanded that the audit be repeated every five years.
The umbrella RWA body forwarded a copy of the letter to the Prime Minister’s office, the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana, as well as the respective state chief secretaries.
The highrise apartments in the NCR region are getting old, and complaints about seepage are common. Residents of apartments must be aware of the structural safety of the building in which they live.
It is past time for the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to step in and ensure a structural audit. Apartment associations are willing to contribute financially to ensure the audit.
A number of buildings in the NCR have been abandoned after primary construction, resulting in erosion and corrosion. Construction work was restarted later, and the buildings were completed without regard for the structure’s longevity or damage.
It is essential to conduct a fair structural audit as many builders have been given extra floor area ratio owing to better return to the farmers. The builders have added several floors to the existing layout plan. Such structures must be thoroughly inspected.
The architects who design flats stated that structural audits are required after a certain period of time to ensure the longevity of the flats and their resistance to any potential earthquakes.
Source-ET
