he civic administration has made structural audit mandatory for buildings over 30 years old and warned that those who fail to do the needful will be slapped a fine of Rs 25,000.
The decision to this effect was taken following incidents of old wadas collapsing across the city in the last one year. Last year, over a dozen old wadas had collapsed during monsoon.
The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) had warned the occupants to vacate wadas but their appeal fell on deaf ears. This year too, an old wada collapsed last month in which one youth was killed and two others were injured.
The civic body has appointed three agencies in the city to conduct structural audits. The owners of the buildings will have to get the structural audit done from the agency appointed by the NMC.
The structural engineers of the agencies certified by the municipal corporation will inspect the buildings and will give certificates about the status of the building on whether it is fit for occupation or not.
Moreover, the agency will also suggest the works that need to be carried to repair the old structures. Once the necessary works are carried out, the agency will submit a certificate stating that the structure is in a good condition to the divisional office of the municipal corporation. The owners of the old buildings will have to pay the service charges of Rs 23 per sq metre or at least Rs 5,000 each.
The structure of the old buildings which are unsafe or dangerous will have to be removed by the owners on their own.
The NMC has already identified 1,032 old and unsafe buildings in the city and served notices to the owners.
