Are developers following building codes?

Large building complexes like offices, housing apartments, malls, multiplexes, whichhave changed the urbanscape, do not have any mandatory inspections to ensurethat building plans and fire safety norms are in place, says Vivek Shukla

The avoidable tragedy at Carlton Towers in Bangalore on February 23 has once again highlighted the sheer apathy of agencies that look after the safety aspect of our buildings. The investigation into the Carlton Towers tragedy has revealed that the magnitude of the tragedy could have been worse as the terrace was stocked with1,000 liters of diesel. And before Carlton Towers, another shocking incidenttook place close to Bangalore on January 26, where a building under construction collapsed, killing 27 people – this too has brought into sharp focus several chinks and lacunae in safety norms followed in the buildingconstruction industry. Even as investigations are going on in both these cases, experts admit that violation of building plans is normal looking at the state of other buildings under construction.

Large building complexes like offices,housing apartments, malls, multiplexes ,which have changed the urban scape, do not have any mandatory inspections to ensure that the building plans and fire safety norms are in place.

Some say that developers deviate even up to 10% from the sanctioned plan in many of these buildings. Violations through non-installation of fire equipment, congested staircases, and entry to the main building from basement, narrow entry roads and absence of trained personnel to tackle emergencies are major causes of concern in all high rise buildings.

Brushing aside all these allegations on developers, R KArora, CMD of Supertech Group, says that it is not at all true that developer signore the guidelines of National Building Code (NBC) in order to earn more. Realtors are providing all the essential safety measure in their projects and they also have a team of highly qualified professionals to take care of all the construction work as per the norms set by the NBC, he avers.

Echoing these thoughts, Ajmal Zaheer Khan of Kothari Associates, said that no realtor with any standing in the market could afford to overlook safety measures in buildings. He made it clear that they should work on this aspect every time and all the time.

Some say that another factor that compromises building safety is the extensive use of filtered sand in many structures. As this is not of good quality and does not have a binding nature, tragedy is waiting tohappen in many constructions everywhere.

And, for various reasons, civic authorities have been found wanting in ensuring that the buildings are constructed as per building bylaws and the NBC.

A study conducted not long ago by a consumer organization in Mumbai and Gujarat looked at 18 housingprojects , comprising 4,500 units,constructed by private and government agencies. Predictably, findings spoke of gross violation of building bylaws, use of substandard materials, and inadequate/nil technical supervision. Residents speak of damp roofs, peeling plaster,faulty wiring, leaky taps, corroded reinforcement, splintered windows and vibrating parapets. Most of the users had to replace shutters and fixtures of the joinery within a short time.

Another disturbing trend that is gaining ground is that, now, priority is given to elegance and aesthetics, and safety in building construction is given a go by. “It is really very unfortunate that priority is given to elegance and aesthetics, and not to safety of the buildings,” rues Nazma Rizvi, formerly of School of Planning and Architecture, adding, “I think some developers award contracts to builders on the basis of lowest quotation.Quality of construction takes a backseat. As a result, neither the materialsnor the workmanship is tested as specified by the NBC.”

Quality shortfall can have lethal fallout. Realtymarket watcher, Devinder Gupta of Century21 India, strongly feels that there is a possibility that some realtors insmall towns play with the lives of people because they violate the norms ofNBC, but that in big cities they cannot afford to take such a risk. One,Carlton-like incident completely ruins their reputation. No real tor can take this huge risk while constructing his building, he says.

“Absolutely,” says Sunil Jindal, CEO of SVP Developers,“Quality of construction has always been a top priority for established developers . Every contract awarded to acontractor invariably contains inspection and testing clause, on the basis of which it becomes mandatory for the contractor to undertake certain prescribed tests to ensure best quality construction.”

Some also say that, at least in some cases, developers also violate NBC in respect of materials, workmanship, size and height of rooms to be adopted for comfortable living, utilizing the latest developments in building designs and construction techniques. The situation can improve onlywhen developers arrange for quality checking, either directly or throughindependent agencies.

Rajeev Rai, vice-president (Corporate) at Assotech Ltd,says that it is not at all fair to blame the entire community of developers forone or two incidents.

“Fact of the mater is that they see to it that inspection and testing procedures are followed at project sites. Their engineers at site also ensure that all inspection and testing is done as perthe guidelines of NBC,” he says.

As far as National Building Code is concerned, it is a document containing standardized requirement for the design and construction of buildings in the country. Although codes may sometimes seem fuzzy, they are the result of years of experience and testing, says Rizvi.

Building codes exist to protect the public’s health,safety and welfare. It regulates building constructionand building use in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the occupant. There cannot be any debate that all the stakeholders have to ensure that NBC is followed in letter and spirit so that the lives of innocent people are not put in danger.

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