Delhi: Retrofitting old buildings still under way

CM Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with Sharma, PWD minister Satyendra Jain, divisional and relief commissioner Ashwani Kumar and Delhi Dialogue Commission vice-chairman Ashish Khetan to review measures taken to ensure Delhi’s disaster preparedness.

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Sharma said retrofitting of old buildings constructed prior to the new building code, pose a challenge for the government.

“Hospitals are most needed during a crisis. If they collapse, people will not get medical aid. It is therefore important to secure them…with Delhi falling under seismic zone IV,” Sharma said.

“Some buildings in Delhi have been retrofitted over the last few years. However, priority will be assigned to most critical buildings like hospitals, control rooms, schools and office buildings. We will take steps towards retrofitting of old buildings. The Delhi Secretariat is yet to be retrofitted while buildings like Ludlow Castle and 5, Shamnath Marg have been worked on,” an official said.

Protecting unauthorised colonies during a disaster is another challenge that the administration faces.

“Delhi has grown over a period of time and due to employment opportunities many build homes in unauthorised colonies. Now, we cannot demolish them. It’s a sociological phenomena and municipal corporations face a huge challenge. The areas posing a challenge to us are unauthorised and resettlement colonies and the Walled city. We have identified disaster lanes as well,” Sharma said.