Safety certification in place, but verification still lacking in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Civic officials claim that safety certification of constructions is mandatory in Delhi.
However, experts believe that this is a mere formality because no random checks are carried
out to verify the implementation of the building guidelines.
An official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said the notification of Unified Building Bylaws,
2001, and National Building Code has boosted compliance with norms. “The structural safety
certificate is among the documents mandatorily required at the time of applying for the building
sanctioning plan. The document is also required while applying for a completion certificate,” the
official said.
The official added that people were themselves taking the certification seriously for their own
safety. “People are also investing a lot of money in constructing houses and want to ensure their
structures can withstand seismic and other natural hazards,” he said.

While those building houses can take the help of around 200 structural engineers and over
1,000 architects empanelled with MCD for structural safety certification, in unauthorised
colonies, with constructions taking place without sanctioned building plans, it is difficult to
comment on the adherence to guidelines. Architect planner Chitra Jain confirmed that structural
and seismic safety were rarely compromised in planned neighbourhoods, but this was not so in
areas where illegal construction took place.
The MCD official also said structural integrity couldn’t be confirmed in constructions over 60
years old, such as many in old Delhi. But, the official reasoned, “had the structure been very
weak, buildings would have collapsed regularly because the city falls under seismic zone IV with
probability of quakes of severe intensity”.
Structural engineers, however, felt that building norms were still not being implemented strictly.
“The structural safety certificate is submitted at a time when construction hasn’t even begun, so
how can anyone verify that the safety norms are being followed?” asked engineer Aditya
Sharma. “There is no inspection of properties smaller than 500 sq metre either. And in most
building plans, there is no mention of the width of beam and columns that indicate structuralsafety.”

Sharma added, “The matter of structural safety was presented in Delhi High Court by an NGO a
few years ago after which the civic bodies issued notices to some building owners and housing
societies. But things have slowed down again.”