Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is taking necessary measures to prevent such incidents further, thus directing the residents to get a structural audit done of those buildings that are 30-year-old.
The civic body has made structural audit mandatory for all such rickety buildings and a report from the competent agencies must be submitted to the concerned department at the earliest since the civic body prepares the list of dilapidated buildings prior to the monsoon and issues notices to evict them.
Concerned civic officials have been instructed to issue notices under 265A of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act (MMCA), to the structures of 30-year-old for conducting structural audits compulsorily in time bound manner. Meanwhile, NMMC has found as many as 528 structures unsafe to stay in during the 2023-24 survey conducted last time as per the norms of NMCA Act 264.
According to the civic body, any alteration and repairing in the marginally damaged structures could only be carried out with the prior permission of concerned departments.
The owners of such structures will be asked to submit a construction status certificate at the earliest. NMMC has also sought details from Cidco about the buildings constructed by the town planner that are more than 30 years old and accordingly the civic body will act. Structural audit of such old buildings should be done immediately, said civic officials.
“We have observed that residents of old buildings do not pay heed to our repeated appeal to get the structural audit done which compelled us to make the audit mandatory now. This is a serious issue. Further negligence on the part of the owners of old buildings will lead to the safety and security of their lives and property. Citizens realize the seriousness only after the disaster takes place. Officials have been told to deal with the issue on priority,” said an NMMC official.
The civic Town Planning Department has been asked to prepare a list of buildings older than 30 years and force the societies to get the structural audit done through NMMC approved engineers.
All ward offices have been ordered to issue notices for conducting structural audits of old structures. The list NMMC approved structural engineers is made available on the website at www(dot)nmmc(dot)gov(dot)in.
NMMC has further made it clear that the owners of unsafe buildings are directed to vacate else they will be held responsible for any incident involving loss of lives and property.
