Mizo buildings too weak to stand quake: NBCC

Aizawl, Feb 04 (UNI) The buildings constructed along hilly terrains of Mizoram are architecturally weak and don't match the international standards applied in Seismic Zone-V areas.

Talking to mediapersons at the PIB Editors' Conference on Infrastructural issues in North East here today, National Buildings Construction Corp Ltd (NBCC) Deputy General Manager A K Bansal said that Mizoram, which falls in the Zone V area of Seismic Chart, is highly vulnerable to mega-earthquakes.

The NBCC has asserted that a high intensity quake could result in massive disaster in Mizoram, which falls the high intensity quake zone.

The public sector, which entered the state in 2001, has undertaken massive construction works in the entire state worth Rs 253 crores to make quake proof buildings.

''Buildings constructed by us are totally earthquake proof and we are taking precautions right from the time of laying out the designs before reinforcement,'' Mr Bansal added.

The state was jolted by a earthquake of 5.0 on Richter scale on January 15, however, there was no loss of life or property.

Experts feel that any high intensity quake would be fatal for the entire state, specially the capital, were houses were constructed in traditional methods.

''However, we are worried about the private constructions, which are mushrooming here. We have suggested the state government umpteen times to follow the norms of construction applied in all the earthquake prone areas,'' he said adding that the government was slowly adopting their formulae.

Recenlty, the state government have constituted Aizawl Development Authority to regulate the construction works here.

Mr Bansal further said that there was an urgent need to educate the common people to adopt methods in constructing quakeproof buildings instead of traditional ones.

UNI ZS-SKR PP KLC1458