BHUBANESWAR: A day after the balcony of a dilapidated apartment building collapsed and claimed three lives in Cuttack, the government on Sunday announced to fast-track the identification and demolition of all unsafe and hazardous buildings in the state.
Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said, “All government buildings are being monitored regularly and steps will be taken for demolition of those structures that are in a dilapidated state.”
Directions have already been issued for demolition of the unsafe buildings. “While the Works department is responsible for declaring a building unsafe, the Urban Development department will ensure its demolition. The state government will take responsibility for unsafe official buildings, but private property owners must remain vigilant and act responsibly,” said the minister.
Urban planners and real estate experts alleged that the failure on part of the state government to identify and demolish unsafe structures has resulted in Cuttack-like mishaps. Following the direction of Orissa High Court, the additional district magistrate (ADM)-cum-nodal officer, Cuttack, had earlier submitted a comprehensive report in August this year highlighting the identification of 221 unsafe buildings in the city.
The state government had also informed the Assembly last year that out of 491 cases of illegal construction within the jurisdiction of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), order for demolition had been issued in 191 cases.
While it is yet to be known whether steps in this regard have been taken, real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan said considering the safety of citizens, fire and structural safety measures as well as occupancy certificates should be mandated for buildings, especially those that are more than 10 metre high.