MCG to start structural audit of 87 unsafe buildings in Gurugram
MCG to hire a private agency for a structural audit of 87 buildings deemed unsafe after discrepancies in a previous survey; compliance report due by May 20.
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will soon appoint a private agency to conduct a structural audit of 87 buildings whose demolition was ordered by the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) last week after a survey in 2021-22 deemed them unsafe. MCG officials said that the 2022 survey is now considered unreliable because the civic body’s engineers inspected the buildings after the survey WHY? and found that not all of them deserved to be demolished.
The 2022 survey, conducted by a private agency hired by MCG, identified 183 buildings as “dangerous” of which five were demolished and 60 were repaired. MCG inspection found 87 of the remaining buildings unsafe, while 31 are yet to be inspected, said officials.
“We have been instructed to take immediate action on these 87 buildings and submit a compliance report by May 20. Since discrepancies were observed in the earlier survey, we have decided to appoint a fresh private agency to conduct a detailed structural audit before initiating any demolition,” said MCG chief engineer Manoj Yadav.
The buildings were initially flagged based on visible indicators such as cracks in the walls, structural tilts, and evident wear and tear.
“The new agency will assess construction quality, foundation integrity, and other factors contributing to the buildings’ safety. Once the audit is complete, we will proceed according to the provisions of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994,” said Yadav. He added that the pending inspections of the 31 buildings may alter the final list of those requiring demolition or repairs.
Section 265 of the Act empowers the municipal commissioner to demolish, repair, or secure buildings found to be ruinous or dangerous to occupants or passersby. If the owner fails to comply, MCG is authorised to carry out the necessary actions and recover costs from the owner.