MC declares three-storeyed dharamshala unsafe

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 11

The local Municipal Corporation has declared a three-storeyed dharamshala constructed adjoining a temple in Sector 18 unsafe and has written to various departments, including the office of the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP, to take steps to prevent any loss of life as the building has become dangerous and may fall anytime.

An intimation in this regard has also been sent to the Chief Fire Officer, the Estate Office and the SHO of the Sector 19 police station.

Sources said in a report prepared by the Executive Engineer, it had been stated that the three-storeyed building had been constructed on land belonging to the MC and the temple committee had also encroached upon the green area behind the temple and merged the area with the temple campus by constructing a boundary wall.

The report states that the building was sagging. Its floors along the load-bearing walls had sagged up to 1.6 ft from the natural floor level and the building could fall anytime. The temple committee has provided temporary support of wooden and iron bars under the slab.

The report states that if the building falls, there is a great risk to the adjoining houses and lives of people residing in the temple.

The report has been sent to the higher authorities seeking necessary action to prevent a mishap.

When this correspondent visited the temple, a marriage function was under way oblivious of the impending danger. The president of the temple committee, Shamlal Goel, said he had also received the report from the MC. Goel said according to the report, the building was unsafe and illegal. He said he was not aware how the building came up over the years as he took over as the committee president recently.

He said he would seek details from the previous office-bearers of the committee and get the building inspected from experts of Punjab Engineering College.