4,000 Ahmedabad buildings may not survive a powerful quake: NDMA

Around 4,000 multi-storied buildings in Ahmedabad have been constructed with faulty designs and the structures may not withstand a high-intensity earthquake, a top official of National Disaster Management Authority said on Wednesday.

According to NDMA vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy, the ground floors of these buildings are being used as parking space and hardly any attention was given to seismic safety measures in the construction of the structures.

“Of these design faulty buildings, 2,500 are multi-storied while additional 1,500 buildings have 11 floors or more,” he told a press conference here.

The NDMA official said it was an alarming situation as the buildings may not withstand a high-intensity earthquake.

“We are going to organise a workshop in Ahmedabad soon to make people aware about the problems and the remedial measures that should be taken,” he said.

Reddy, however, said no such figure could be given about Delhi though a study was going on to find out faulty design buildings in the national capital.

He said the Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines asking lending banks not to sanction loan to any building which does not have seismic safety measures.