Structural safety plans still lying on papers

With an estimated 3.2 million buildings in Delhi, a vast majority have been constructed without adhering to building regulations.

Millions of people across the National Capital Region (NCR) were jolted early Monday morning by tremors from a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Dhaula Kuan, reigniting concerns over Delhi’s lack of earthquake preparedness and building safety norms.

Tremors of earthquake were felt at around 5.30am on Monday. (PTI)

Despite Delhi falling under seismic Zone IV—prone to strong earthquakes—urban local bodies have been slow in enforcing structural safety audits and retrofitting of high-risk buildings, despite repeated interventions from the Delhi high court. In June 2020, following court directives, the erstwhile municipal corporations set a six-month deadline for high-risk buildings and older structures to obtain structural safety certificates.

Nearly 4.5 years later, compliance remains minimal.

Arpit Bhargava, the petitioner in the case, said he has been fighting for nearly a decade, but little has changed.

“The court has repeatedly sought compliance, yet the government has failed to submit reports. They keep asking for more time. Delhi has over 32 lakh buildings, but the corporation lacks enough empaneled structural engineers. Even among the 10,000 identified high-risk buildings, fewer than 15% have met safety certification norms,” he said.

According to a June 18, 2022, public notice, structural audits were made mandatory for all institutional buildings — educational institutions, assembly halls, hospitals, malls, and cinema halls. The rule also applied to private and government buildings taller than 15 metres and all buildings lacking sanctioned plans, irrespective of construction date.

“For buildings with sanctioned plans, the cut-off date was set at March 20, 2001, making audits compulsory for older structures,” a municipal corporation official explained.

With an estimated 3.2 million buildings in Delhi, a vast majority have been constructed without adhering to building regulations. The Tejendra Khanna Committee, set up in 2006 to examine unauthorized constructions, found that 70-80% of structures had violated building norms.

HT sent queries to MCD regarding the matter, however, the agency was yet to respond till the time of going to print.

A senior MCD official involved in the court-mandated drive acknowledged the overwhelming scale of illegal construction. “In many cases, we’ve issued notices, but people don’t respond. If we take harsh measures like cutting power or water supply, it leads to public outcry. The problem is especially severe in the Walled City and unauthorized colonies. A practical approach would be prioritising large assembly buildings, government offices, high-rises, and old structures for retrofitting,” he said.