Quake checks on buildings soon

Minister of State for Housing Sachin Ahir had recently felt the same about Mumbai and other parts of the state when asked about earthquake-resistant buildings.

He had said there is a need to check earthquake-resistance. State government officials confirmed that a meeting of the urban development,housing and environment ministries would be convened next week.

Principal Secretary,Urban Development,T C Benjamin said it is mandatory for buildings to follow the National Building Code but with many unauthorised structures emerging,there is a need to check these constructions. “In rural areas,there are plenty of constructions cleared by the gram panchayat. Though rules say it has to be cleared by the collector,a lot of constructions are cleared by the gram panchayat,’’ says Benjamin.

IMD Deputy Director General Dr AB Mazumdar says not much care is taken about earthquake-resistant buildings. Fortunately Pune is a stable zone but there is hardly any seriousness on constructing such buildings. “Though there are rules there are so many constructions coming up and whether each of them follows norms is doubtful,’’ says Mazumdar.

With constructions normally required to follow the Indian Standard norms of 1893,a good consultant will not falter in designing structures according to specifications feel consultants in the city.

“The specifications are in accordance with zones. Pune and Mumbai fall in zone-III. The designs are done accordingly for buildings and the municipal corporations approve them. It is mandatory for us to follow it and though we might not have earthquake-proof buildings,we definitely have earthquake-resistant buildings in both Pune and Mumbai if clients go through licensed consultants who follow norms,’’ says Achyut Watve,partner of JW Consultants,a leading consultant in Pune.

“Pune,according to seismicity,should have a column width of 200 mm and minimum width of the beam at 200 mm-8 inches. Though checks can be introduced,self-check is the best check,’’ he adds.

President of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Pune) Satish Magar said it is mandatory for all members to follow rules and clearances are not given if it is not constructed according to rules. Of course it all comes at a cost. “There is definitely a cost factor which is involved,however,clients are not aware of all this and it is required that people ask these questions and not risk going to developers who do not follow rules. If there is a review of the same,it is a welcome move,’’ says Rohit Gera,vice-president of CREDAI.