Haryana forms panel to examine structural strength of buildings

GURUGRAM: The Haryana government has set up a committee to examine the structural
strength of buildings in the state, including those in the national capital region. The information
was given by Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal in his inaugural address to a two-day
Urban Development Conclave in Gurugram.
Kaushal made the statement days after the sequential collapse of drawing-room roofs of a flat
from the sixth floor to the first floor in a highrise in the city, in which two women residents of the
building were killed and a senior central government officer was critically injured.
Haryana has formed a special structural engineering committee for dealing with structural issues
of residential properties, the chief secretary said.

He also added that the state government is trying to evolve a mechanism to ensure that
allottees get quality construction as Gurugram and Faridabad are important NCR cities and the
issues of urbanisation need to be resolved.
He said urbanisation also involves providing electricity, drinking water and transportation in cities
besides ensuring quality construction of buildings there.
We have to ensure that the NCR region is developing as per the people’s expectations, he said.
Presiding over the inaugural session of the conclave, Housing and Urban Affairs
Secretary Manoj Joshi of the central government appreciated the conclave’s agenda, saying it is
very comprehensive and covers all aspects of urbanisation.
He said it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream that every family should have a roof over its
head.
The Prime Minister believes that urbanisation will accelerate the development of the country in
the coming 20 years, he said, while expressing concern over the unplanned urbanisation in
small towns.
Seeking to assure that full cooperation would be given for the betterment of Haryana in NCR
planning, Joshi said employment generation should also be included in urban planning.
Panchkula-based state’s RERA Chairman Rajan Gupta said Haryana’s urbanisation level is at
35 per cent, a notch above the country’s average of 32 per cent.
He said urbanisation is under pressure today and it is necessary to identify the reasons behind it
and find a solution.
During the conclave, Haryana’s Additional Chief Secretary Devender Singh of the Town and
Country Planning Department gave a detailed presentation of the extent of urbanisation in
Haryana and said the real estate and urbanisation are again on the path of growth after the
Covid pandemic.
He said Gurugram has the highest number of new launches of real estate in the NCR which is
51 per cent of the entire NCR region.