Delhi govt to undertake safety audit of government quarters in RK Puram

The Delhi government has decided to undertake a comprehensive structural safety audit of all residential quarters in New Delhi district.

The Delhi government has decided to undertake a comprehensive structural safety audit of all residential quarters in New Delhi district.

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The move comes after the collapse of a portion of the roof of an under-repair government quarter in New Delhi’s RK Puram. Four people were injured in the incident.

According to officials, a report on the incident has been prepared after an enquiry by the SDM.

To begin with, the deputy commissioner office has decided to rope in an independent agency that can carry out a structural safety assessment of all the buildings in RK Puram.

“There are a number of government quarters that have developed cracks over a period of time. While the construction agencies carry out maintenance from time to time, it is necessary to check if these buildings require structural changes to strengthen them,” said a senior Delhi government official.

“These buildings can pose a serious threat in case of any disaster such as earthquake, etc. There might be some dangerous buildings too, which might require demolition. We are going to launch the exercise soon,” said the official.

The exercise will begin with government quarters in RK Puram. Depending on the outcome, other areas in New Delhi such as DIZ area, Gole Market, Mandir Marg will also be surveyed.

On February 18, the roof of an under-repair quarter at RK Puram had collapsed, injuring two construction workers.

Sources said that the Delhi government may issue a notice to Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the agency that maintains the government quarters in New Delhi area over the roof-collapse incident.

“This audit will help us understand what kind of repair work CPWD should undertake to strengthen these buildings. It is a highly specialised job and it requires extensive work. We will take the help of CPWD too as, they had constructed these buildings,” added the official.