Maharashtra Govt to make structural audits mandatory

Mumbai, July 20 (UNI) Maharashtra Government today told the Legislative Assembly that it plans to bring amendment to the existing laws to make periodical structural audits of housing societies and registration of builders mandatory.

Replying to a debate in the Lower House on the collapse of a 27-year-old seven-storeyed building in suburban Mumbai which killed 28 persons, Minister of state for Urban Development, Rajesh Tope said the ''Laxmi Chhaya'' building tragedy is a lesson to be learnt by one and all on a range of issues such as mandatory soil testing and hard rock foundation before taking up construction.

''Periodic structural audits of housing societies will be necessary and the housing societies will have to submit structural stability certificate of their residential complex. Similarly, registration of builders was also important. Neccessary amendments would be made in the Development Control Rules, BMC Act and Co-operative Societies Act, and an ordinance would be promulgated to this effect before the Winter Session of the State Legislature,'' the Minister added.

Admitting the delay in implementation of the Afzalpurkar Committee recommendations, Mr Tope said the recommendations which were submitted in 1998-99 and the implications of their implementation are being studied by another committee. ''I assure the House that the committee will submit its report in a month's time. One of the important recommendation is for additional FSI as an incentive for re-construction of old buildings,'' the Minister added.

The Afzalpurkar Committee was set up to examine the feasibility of the issue.

UNI