To terror-proof buildings,Maharashtras new rules: 2-m-high compound wall,no direct vehicle entry,armour-plating columns

From a mandatory two-metre-high compound wall to tough rules on basement parking,from armour-plating exposed columns to preventing direct entry of vehicles...

From a mandatory two-metre-high compound wall to tough rules on basement parking,from armour-plating exposed columns to preventing direct entry of vehicles,the Maharashtra government today became the first to announce a series of unprecedented and sweeping rules aimed at making buildings terror-proof.

Three months after the 26/11 attacks laid bare glaring security loopholes in the countrys financial capital,the new measures called Security Control Rules,according to a Government Resolution GR today,cover virtually all buildings in the state,including housing complexes,which have a built-up area exceeding 10,000 sq m or an occupancy of over 1,000 people.

The Security Control Rules,which come into effect immediately,include:

amp;149; Setting up a security outpost with latest electronic surveillance

amp;149; Restricting entry points to two

amp;149; Restraints on approach paths to the building to prevent direct entry of vehicles

amp;149; Displaying exit route maps for evacuation

amp;149; Two-metre high compound wall

amp;149; Stand-off point where vehicles should drop visitors nine metres away from the building

amp;149; Armour-plating of exposed columns with 12 mm steel plates up to two metres height and starting from 15 cm below ground level.

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amp;149; In another measure that is expected to trigger a storm of objections in space-strapped Mumbai,the government has also virtually banned parking of vehicles below such buildings,including in their basements. Tough measures such as armour-plating of pillars and columns and high fire-resistance will have to be ensured in basements of buildings where parking directly below them is certified as unavoidable,officials said.

Although the GR has invited suggestions and objections in the next 30 days,T C Benjamin,Principal Secretary in the Urban Development Department,said that the rules come into effect immediately.

All new and old buildings will have to follow the rules. Existing buildings will have to go for retrofitting except those which are not feasible in the opinion of planning authorities or the police department, he said. The government will form a Security Control Board of police,civic officials,structural engineers and experts which will scrutinise new building proposals and identify their threat category.

Based on their categorization,these buildings will have to be constructed with specified blast- resistant designs. Digitised building plans will have to be submitted to a central agency and a monthly security audit is compulsory.