Vacate unsafe buildings or be liable for mishaps, Ludhiana MC chief orders dwellers
As per an MC survey conducted last year, there are 102 unsafe buildings in Ludhiana city.
As unsafe buildings and their deteriorating condition in monsoon continue to pose danger to the residents, municipal commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal has issued a public notice asking the dwellers to vacate or demolish the structures on their own.
The public notice states that the owner would be responsible for any accidents caused or lives lost if such a building collapses.
As per information, a survey of unsafe buildings was conducted by the MC in 2019 and 102 unsafe buildings were found in the city. Out of these, 53 are situated in zone A, 21 in zone B, 18 in zone C and 10 in zone D.
A civic official requesting anonymity said many cases of unsafe buildings are sub-judice as owners and the tenants are at loggerheads over vacating the same. Due to this, the MC has not been able to demolish such structures. Despite repeated notices served by the MC, no tenant or owner has vacated the buildings, the official said. A 70-year-old man, Gurcharan Singh, had died in 2015 after a part of an unsafe building collapsed in Thapran Mohalla.
Tribhuvan Thapar, a resident of Naughara Mohalla, said, “Rather than waiting for the owner to bring down the building, the MC should take matters in its own hands and raze such structures. Fatal accidents can happen at any time, especially in monsoon, as most of these buildings are on the verge of collapsing.”
The MC chief said, “Notices have been issued to the owners under Section 273 of Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, asking them to vacate or demolish the buildings. Owners would be held responsible if any tragedy or fatality is reported at such sites.”