No GHMC inspection

Hyderabad, Dec. 10: The three-storeyed building that partially sunk into the ground in Kukatpally exposes the failure of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in verifying the structural stability of the building before giving permission for construction of additional floors on the building.

There are a few lakh buildings with ground plus three floors accommodating three lakh citizens in the city. However, the GHMC officials have not inspected the structural stability of any of these buildings.

"You cannot expect the GHMC to inspect each and every house. We do not inspect the structural stability of a building when an application is submitted for construction of additional floors. We only see the plot area and road width to sanction additional floors," said a senior official.

The GHMC chief city planner, Mr Purushothama Reddy, said the corporation officials verify and inspect the structural stability of only multi-storeyed buildings that are above 15 metres.

"For other buildings of ground plus three floors or even less, the onus of ensuring structural stability rests with the owner. We cannot depute officials for inspecting every house on which additional floors are being constructed," added Mr Purushothama Reddy.

According to the CCP, usually the house-owners also stay in the buildings and so they should take care that the building is strong in terms of foundation.

"This is only an isolated case compared to lakhs of three-storeyed buildings existing in the city without any such incident," said Mr Purushothama Reddy.

However, the corporation has decided to cordon off the area in Kukatpally until its engineers inspect the structural stability of other buildings in the vicinity. "Whether the partial sinking of the building has had any effect on other buildings needs to be inspected for the safety of other residents," he added.