MTP fails to submit report on unsafe buildings

Amritsar, July 6

The Municipal Town Planning (MP) wing of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation failed to complete a survey of unsafe buildings here on Wednesday. The MC Commissioner had given a week’s time to the officials of the Municipal Town Planning wing to conduct a survey on unsafe buildings.

On June 30, Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh conducted a meeting with the officials of the MTP and asked them to submit a report till July 5 so that the required action could be taken before the start of the monsoon season.

Though the officials had initiated the survey, they failed to submit a report on time. Municipal Town Planner Mehrban Singh said, “Around 90 per cent of the survey work had been completed and a report would be submitted soon.”

After many incidents of building collapse in the past, the officials immediately announced to conduct a survey on unsafe buildings and take action in this regard. But for the last few years, no survey or action was taken. The last survey was conducted in 2017 by the MC. There were around 125 unsafe buildings in the city in 2017.

The MC had reportedly issued notices to the owners of these buildings. No survey was conducted after that. In 2020, the MC had served notices on the owners of some old buildings, asking them to either get these repaired or vacate these. MC officials said they were unable to take action in the matter as several cases were sub judice.

Recently, a woman and her son were killed and four other members of the family injured after a portion of the first floor of the building of the next-door neighbour collapsed over their house leading to collapse of the roof of a room of their house at Verka on June 26. The MC officials had announced to conduct a survey on unsafe buildings.