The Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) has now made the certificate for structural safety mandatory for applying for an occupation certificate (OC) in areas falling under its jurisdiction.
The move comes after several incidents of tilting of buildings were reported in the city due to heavy rains in the monsoon. Along with this, HSVP has made architects responsible for supervising construction and ensuring structural safety of buildings.
After heavy rain, five newly-constructed buildings in sectors 27, 46, 47 and 56 had tilted in August, following which dozens of families living in adjoining buildings were vacated and the roads leading these buildings blocked. The incidents had created panic among residents in these areas and raised concerns related to structural safety of buildings in the city.
“Structural safety of the house and its certification has to be assured while applying for OC. Also, architects will also have to ensure that the building has been constructed as per the approved structure design before they apply,” said Vivek Kalia, estate officer-2, HSVP (Gurugram).
While architects approved of the move, they said there should be checks at multiple levels of construction, right from the foundation stage, to ensure structural stability of buildings.
“All these provisions are good and it will help in ensuring checks at the time of construction, but HSVP should also put a system in place to safeguard the architect,”said Abhimanyu Bhatia, a city-based architect.