Delhi government mulls ways to check building mishaps; higher water and electricity rates for defaulters

In an effort to check incidents of fire and building collapse in the national capital, Delhi government is planning to provide temporary water and electricity connections to those buildings which fail to obtain fire safety certificate. As per the proposal, the electricity and water rates for these buildings will be three times higher.

The suggestion was made during a high-level meeting convened today to discuss structural safety guidelines under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

The meeting came in the wake of Delhi's Divisional Commissioner Dharampal's letter to the urban development department and civic agencies seeking a 'techno-legal' framework for regulating all construction activities.

It was also recommended that no building be allowed to come up in the national capital without a sanctioned plan and that the sanction certificate will have to be displayed at the construction site, otherwise police or local bodies will be authorized to stop the construction.

"These guidelines were being discussed in view of the recent incidents of fire and building collapse. There is a need for a techno-legal framework for regulation and monitoring of all construction activity so as to ensure that all built-up structures comply with minimum standards laid down for structural and fire safety," Dharampal said.

Further, he said that there is a need to create awareness about fire safety norms and penalty should be imposed on those who flout rules. As per the Delhi government data, around one lakh fire incidents have been reported since 2007 and 93 structures collapsed in 2013 alone.