Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to check if housing societies are getting structural audit done

Following the Jimmy Park slab collapse, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation is now looking at the number of housing societies that were served the notices as per Section 264 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act to conduct the structural audit

Following the Jimmy Park slab collapse, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is now looking at the number of housing societies that were served the notices as per Section 264 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act to conduct the structural audit.

Following the recent Jimmy Park slab collapse, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation will check if the housing societies are getting the structural audit done. (HT FILE PHOTO)

“On Monday, a team of experts from IIT conducted the structural audit of the collapsed building and we are awaiting the report. Meanwhile, we are also verifying if all the societies that were given the notices have conducted the structural audit as instructed. If not, we are planning to get the structural audit done by the authorised panel and then add on the expenses to the property taxes of the societies,” Abhijit Bangar, NMMC commissioner, said.

As per the protocol, NMMC routinely advertises the list of approved panel for conducting the structural audit and urges the societies that have completed 30 years to undergo the audit.

“There are many societies that are older than 30 years and it is difficult to individually check each of them. Hence, we have decided to send individual notices to the societies. Before 1994, the OC to every society was given by CIDCO and we have data only of those buildings that came after 1994. Hence, we are also in the process of procuring the data of those buildings under CIDCO,” Bangar added.

Meanwhile, 42 families of the Jimmy Park are still at community centres provided by the corporation, which has urged them to make alternate arrangements. Seven people were rescued and one died on June 10 after the sixth floor caved in till the ground floor while the flooring work was going on there. Nerul police had booked the builder of the society, the contractor and the workers who were working on the sixth floor for causing death by negligence.