Saturday, August 22, 2015

Residents don’t audit old bldgs, TMC takes it up : Hindustan Times

The Thane civic body has decided to conduct a structural audit of more than 25,000 buildings in its jurisdiction that are older than 30 years.




The plot where the 50-year-old Krishna Niwas stood has been cleared of all debris, two weeks after the collapse.

The TMC had, after t he Naupada building collapse earlier this month, asked people living in old buildings to conduct their own structural audits, but as no residential society took up the responsibility, the Thane mayor Sanjay More asked the civic administration to come with a plan and a budget to conduct the audit and table the proposal in the general body.

The corporation said it may initially pay for conducting audit, but will eventually recover the costs from the residents.

A government circular of 2009 had made it mandatory for buildings older than 30 years to do a structural audit to ensure it is safe.

“Most people do not do the audit because of the costs involved, but it is essential to conduct the audit and evacuate dangerous buildings to avoid more collapses. As residents are not ready to do it, the civic administration should take the responsibility and carry out the audit,” More said.

The TMC will audit both legal and illegal buildings.

“A ward-wise committee will be formed to identify dangerous buildings, make a record of residents living in them and give them certificates so their rights are safeguarded during redevelopment,” More said.

The civic commissioner had said last week the corporation could need around Rs100 crore to carry out the audit.

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