Technical panel to survey buildings in Shimla: CM

Experts to assess if any structure is unsafe and needs to be demolished

Report today

The committee is supposed to submit its report tomorrow

It will recommend holding of an audit in Kachhi Ghati and Ghora Chowki where unauthorised structures have come up so that those who have committed violations can be taken to task

The idea is to avert further disaster as its possibility remains high

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 6

A survey of all buildings here will be undertaken with the help of a technical committee comprising experts to assess if any structure is unsafe and needs to be demolished.

“The collapse of a building in Kacchi Ghati is an eye opener and we cannot rule out the possibility of its recurrence as some other buildings could face a similar fate,” admitted Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while talking to The Tribune.

He said while the three-member committee, which had been constituted to find out the reasons for collapse and make recommendations, would look at the issue administratively and there was need to rope in technical experts to examine it minutely.

He admitted that the situation with regard to unauthorised construction by some house owners was serious. “There is already a mechanism in place to detect violations whether it pertains to exceeding the permissible number of floors, use of basement or any other breach. As such, action is taken in accordance with building norms,” he said.

It is reliably learnt that the committee, which is supposed to submit its report tomorrow, will recommend holding of an audit in Kachhi Ghati and Ghora Chowki where unauthorised structures have come up so that those who have committed violations can be taken to task. The idea is to avert further disaster as its possibility remains high.

Shimla has virtually been reduced to a concrete jungle with traffic congestion, denudation of the green cover and haphazard urban sprawl marring its beauty. The absence of adherence to building norms in the absence of check by the authorities is responsible for the mess.

“Till 2003, when it was a semi-urban area falling in the Nagar Panchayat, the permissible limit of floors was four besides allowing two more storeys under the Retention Policy 2002,” revealed an MC source. He admitted that many buildings had been raised to eight or 10 floors, including basement and attic, which was a clear violation of norms.

The Kacchi Ghati and Ghora Chowki localities at the entrance of the town have become a lucrative area for hotel business and many old buildings have been altered and additions made to meet the enhanced requirement for space. What has made the situation so precarious is that the construction has been done on nullahs and water springs (bawris), blocking the flow of water and causing damage to buildings.