Process to save buildings in Solan’s Shamti area begins

Solan, January 7

The process to save damaged buildings in Shamti area of Solan city has begun with retrofitting being undertaken in three buildings while three others have been demolished.

Restoring original strength

• Retrofitting helps to structurally treat the buildings in a bid to restore their original strength. The retrofitting is ideally adopted if the cost of repair and strengthening of building is less than about 50 per cent of the reconstruction cost
• Being a costly proposition, few residents had opted for this option as they had to bear the cost which may run into lakhs of rupees

As many as 108 families were hit as their houses were damaged on July 10 after a 500-metre hill eroded in the area following heavy rains. As many as 80 houses were damaged. Of these, 30 houses were completely damaged while the rest suffered partial damages.

As many as 29 houses, which had been partially damaged, would be saved using retrofitting. Demolition of three buildings had been undertaken in November last year.

Ajay Yadav, Solan Additional Deputy Commissioner, informed that in the first phase three buildings are being saved using retrofitting while three others have been demolished. Since retrofitting costs about Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, few have opted for this.

“A top to bottom approach is being adopted while initiating the demolition process so that the buildings lying below are not disturbed. In the second phase, nine to 10 buildings would be demolished in the cases where the cost of retrofitting is more than Rs 10 lakh,” informed Yadav.

Retrofitting helps to structurally treat the buildings in a bid to restore their original strength. The retrofitting is ideally adopted if the cost of repair and strengthening of building is less than about 50 per cent of the reconstruction cost.

Being a costly proposition few sit residents had come forward to opt for this option as they have to bear the cost which is pegged in lakhs.

Applications for the allotment of three biswa land in the nearby areas have been received from land owners whose houses were totally damaged. The revenue authorities have identified land, which was in the process of being allotted to the affected families soon.

Two surveys have been undertaken by the experts from the Geological Survey of India and National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur. The experts have proposed a slew of measures like retrofitting to save the partially damaged houses and adopting several safety measures like limiting the number of floors in the buildings at the affected areas.