Living in danger! By: Vibha Singh If you are living in a building that has been built before 1995, get ready to submit a structural audit of your premises. In the aftermath of the tragic collapse of a high rise which claimed 75 lives in Mumbra, the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has decided to act tough against the old structures which are in a dilapidated state. The decision was taken by civic chief, Suresh Kakani after getting repeated complaints from the residents about the damaged structures in the area. According to official statistics, there are a total of 10,750 illegal structures in the region, of which the MBMC claims to have already demolished 10,200. Of the remaining 550, many are shielded by stay orders issued by lower courts, while others have already been occupied. The administration has also appointed four firms to carry out the structural audit of the buildings. The maximum number of buildings that has been asked to get a fitness certificate is at Mira Road. Around 494 buildings look dangerous. In Bhayander (east), 340 buildings have a month to carry out structural audit. The municipality has even fixed the charges for the audit. The municipality-appointed-firms will charge Rs 32,000 for a four-storey building and Rs 72,000 for a seven floor building. The audit will show whether the buildings need repair or have to be evacuated. Gaurav Enclave, a 10-storied building’s structural audit was done last month and it was found that it is on the verge of collapse. Despite repeated complaints to the builder and civic officials, no one has taken any action till date. According to the residents, they have been told to vacate the building, but no one has given them a place to relocate them. As a result, a 14-year old girl, a resident of the building committed suicide as she was tense that her father a taxi driver was not able to find a home for them. The building has tilted by more than six inches on its expansion joints. There are 233 residents living in the society. “There are many buildings in the area facing the similar problem and authorities have not taken any serious measures. The identification of dangerous buildings should be a year long drive, and it only before the monsoon these people come into action,” says Arun Kumar, resident of the area. The State Government has framed guidelines making structural audit obligatory mandating owners and occupants to submit a stability certificate declaring the building is safe for habitation. When contacted Suresh Kakani, commissioner of the Mira Bhayander Corporation, he said, “We have asked our engineers to do a structural audit of all the buildings in our list. After the audit, they are informing the residents whether or not the building is safe.” The certificate, issued by a panel of structural engineers registered with MBMC, will have to be submitted to the local ward office. If found unsafe, the civic chief has an authority to issue a notice to the occupants binding them to carry out corrective repairs to the satisfaction of the commissioner, failing which they will have to shell out a fine of Rs 25,000, officials said. The officials have also sealed the controversial Jamuna Tower, which had illegally raised nine floors despite having permission of just one storey." We have shortlisted the structures which will go under the hammer in the drive," confirmed an officer from the demolition squad. The MBMC has so far evacuated residents of four dilapidated and dangerous structures in the region. Another 62 buildings need to be vacated before monsoon. As the municipality has no transit camps, residents have to themselves look for alternate accommodation. Most of the residents of old buildings are low middle-class families who are unable to pay prevailing market rent in Mira Road and Bhayander. Families that have children studying in the locality are unwilling to shift to distant areas like Vasai-Virar. With rental homes in demand, flat owners have hiked the rentals and deposits.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:23:20 +0000
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