VIJAYAWADA: With incessant rains lashing Vijayawada for the past one week, the old and dilapidated buildings in the city, particularly in One Town and Besant Road, continue to be a cause for concern for the residents. Keeping this in view, the town planning wing of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has issued notices to owners of five such buildings out of 30 in the city.
In a survey carried out by the town planning wing officials across the three administrative circles of the city recently, it was found that most of the old structures located in One Town are on the verge of collapse. There are many such buildings in Governorpet, Gandhi Nagar and Canal Road that need immediate attention. People residing in these localities are a worried lot as dilapidated and old structures in their vicinity could cave in any time.
Speaking to TNIE, VMC city planner A Lakshman Rao said that they have already cautioned the owners and tenants of such buildings. “In our survey, we have assessed the nature and condition of the building. After checking if there are any pending court cases involving the owner and tenant, notices have been served on them,’’ he said.
Asked whether the civic body has penalised any of the owners of the old buildings, Rao said if the buildings were found to be posing a threat to the lives of people, directions will be given to them to carry out repair works or raze the structure depending upon its sustainability.
“Several people have complained about the inconvenience caused to them due to the presence of old and dilapidated buildings in their vicinity. We have served notices on owners of five old buildings in the city and asked them to provide sustainability certificates. Most of the properties are located in narrow lanes in One Town and Governorpet and teams will once again inspect them to audit their safety,” Lakshmana Rao concluded.