New Delhi: Buildings having more than the
prescribed height in approved, unauthorised and unauthorised regularised residential colonies in the capital will come under scanner of MCD which has swung into action after a house with illegal floors collapsed in east Delhi.
Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra said during the ongoing
survey being undertaken by the MCD the height of buildings in
approved, unauthorised and unauthorised regularised
residential colonies will be checked.
In many areas, structures of more than 15 m in height are
not allowed according to Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) and
buildings which have been constructed violating this norm may
face action.
MCD Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia said
Illegal floors in such buildings "may be demolished" too.
Mehra said experts of Central Building Research Institute
(CBRI), who had collected samples from the collapsed house in
Lalita Park in Laxmi Nagar and inspected other constructions
in the area, will get back to the MCD which will take the
necessary action, including retrofitting of the buildings as
per CBRI guidance.
The survey will be later extended throughout Delhi to
identify "dangerous buildings" and necessary action will be
taken to ensure structural stability.
The MCD seemed to be in two minds on whether the cost of
retrofitting and other such measures will be on the property
owners or the civic body.
While Mehra said property owners may be asked to bear the
expenses but a final decision is yet to be taken, Chandolia
maintained that the corporation may pay the costs.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the MCD Standing Committee today
had to be adjourned half-way after the opposition Congress
caused a ruckus over the "delay" in submitting the report of
the Chief Vigilance Officer who was asked by MCD to probe the
incident of collapse that took place on November 15 and had
left 70 people dead.
Mehra said CVO has sought more time to complete the probe
as there are "complex issues" involved and he needs to go
through the relevant documents seized by him.
Chandolia also said basements should be banned in areas
near the Yamuna so that water cannot be accumulated there. One
of the reasons of the Lalita Park building collapse was
suspected to be accumulation of water in the basement which
weakened the foundation.
PTI
