Agencies care little for Chennai’s aging buildings

Even after a 150-year old building near Chennai district Collector’s office in Rajaji Salai collapsed recently, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) do not seem to have awakened from a deep slumber, as the departments have not yet proposed even a separate committee to identify ageing private buildings.

While officials from the Public Works Department (Buildings, Construction and Maintenance) stress that they will carry out demolition of private buildings, only if CMDA and GCC permitted them to undertake demolition works, CMDA officials say that they only grant approval to builders for constructing buildings in places falling under the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) and monitor those approved buildings and whether the builders have conformed to the rules laid down by CMDA.

However, CMDA is not responsible for identifying aging buildings or demolishing them and it is the GCC, which should undertake such assignment, they said.

While there is not much official information on aging buildings, areas like Pattinappakkam, Light House and other areas have a lot of unused old buildings. According to sources, around 20, 000 to 25,000 residential units have been lying vacant. Manohar, Superintending Engineer, PWD, said, “The department is ready to assess private buildings and demolish aging buildings only if refereed by the CMDA and GCC. However, we are continuously assessing government buildings, which are in a dilapidated condition.”

Meanwhile, GCC officials noted that they, along with CMDA, are in the process of enumerating such aging buildings. M Govinda Rao, Deputy Commissioner (Works), GCC, told DTNext, “It is a fact that there are more number of aging buildings within the city limits and CMA. Therefore, we have instructed our zonal engineers from 15 areas to start enumerating aging buildings, after which we will serve show cause notices to the owners of the buildings.” The DC also added that the GCC would take up demolition works in the city limits and the CMDA would undertake the same in Greater Chennai area, beyond Corporation limits, if the owners of the buildings did not respond to the notices.

Dr N Govindasamy, president, Tamil Nadu Construction Engineers and Contractors Association, said that they had been approaching both, the CMDA and GCC, to establish a separate body to identify aging buildings, but both the departments turned a blind eye. “The age of a building constructed four or five decades ago might be 60 to 70 years.

However, things are opposite now, as ages of the buildings, constructed these days has reduced to merely 25 to 30 years,” he pointed out.

Dr R Kumar, former Deputy Planner of CMDA and Managing Director of Navin Housing and Properties Private Limited, said “The age of the buildings depends on the quality of construction. A building can be deemed habitable even up to 100 years, if it is constructed in a proper manner, but the age of a building will be taken only as 25 to 30 years, if the quality of construction is poor.” He added that the CMDA only approves buildings and it is not responsible for ascertaining structural details like the age of building.

A CMDA official confirmed that they monitor approved buildings and seal the same if violations are found.

“For instance, if builders obtain planning permission from the CMDA for construction of four floors of residential building, but exceeds the approved limits, we will seal the building,” said an official.

As far as aging buildings are concerned, he claimed that they have no role to play. “If government issues a new order to identify aging buildings and demolish them, we will do so,” the official added.