Visakhapatnam civic body to serve notices to owners of old buildings, Real Estate News, ET Real Estate

By Shiv Gorripathi

Visakhapatnam: even if Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation ,GVMC) has been identifying unsafe buildings every year and sending notices to owners for renewal if the structural strength is sound. If not, the GVMC suggests demolition. But, many people ignore the notices given by GVMC due to lack of financial means or emotional attachment with those houses.

after a building collapse in Ramjogipeta In which three people died in the early hours of Thursday, GVMC officials are now planning to serve notices to the owners of the old buildings. GVMC officials had initially identified 320 structures in the year 2016. Later, the number increased to 450 in GVMC limits. One of the town planning officials told TOI that they are on the job of enumerating the unsafe buildings in the city.

The city has over 3.5 lakh residential 40,000 non-residential buildings including individual houses, apartments and housing complexes, shops, malls, hotels and cinema halls besides another 15,000 residential cum commercial buildings.

There are allegations that the authorities are not regularly conducting structural audits, which is nothing but examination of the durability and lifespan of buildings. Buildings that have undergone unscientific alterations for more than 40 years are in danger of collapsing.

Exactly a decade ago, GVMC officials had identified around 450 buildings for demolition. All these buildings are about 100 to 140 years old. Of the 450 old buildings identified, about 75% are in KotveedhiPort Area, Poorna Market, Kurupam Market, Jalaripeta, Maharanipeta, and others in the old city.

A GVMC official said that they may take action against the dilapidated buildings under section 456 of the Hyderabad Municipal Act, 1955. Now, we need to go for it and give notice to the owners of those buildings. Most of the dilapidated buildings are in Zone One ie Old Town area. I came to know that a large number of buildings in Zone I are considered unsafe,” said GVMC commissioner P Raja Babu. He said that he would soon go to give notice to the owners of the old building.