Curation Team
PRAYAGRAJ: The high-rise buildings of city are set to become safer under a new directive that makes structural safety audits mandatory. According to the new guidelines, all high-rise buildings (those taller than 15 metres) will now require a safety audit 10 years after construction, and then once every five years thereafter. This comes after concerns about safety lapses and past fire incidents in several multi-storeyed buildings across the city.
Over the last two decades, many tall buildings have come up in Prayagraj. However, most of these never underwent any formal safety checks after completion. Earlier, buildings only required a one-time No Objection Certificate (NOC) from a structural engineer at the time of construction. After that, the safety of many buildings was left unchecked, putting residents at risk.
Several buildings in the city, despite having structural flaws, still received clearance. Fire safety measures in many of these buildings became non-functional, mere showpieces. Even govt buildings like the Advocate General’s Office near the High Court and the Indira Bhawan (housing the development authority itself) witnessed major fire outbreaks leading to investigations in each incident.
Now, under the new safety rules, any building found with structural cracks or safety risks must be immediately audited by the owner, builder, or Residents Welfare Association (RWA). For buildings above 50 metres, only expert structural engineers registered with the authority can conduct these audits. The audit reports will have to be submitted to the local development authority.
If any risks are found during the audit, the concerned parties—owners, builders, or RWAs—will be required to fix them within a set timeframe. Failure to do so will allow the authorities to carry out the repairs or reconstruction themselves, and the cost will be recovered from the building owners or their associations.
Senior officials of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) said that strict action will continue against illegal and unsafe constructions. The new guidelines will be strictly enforced, ensuring better safety standards in the city’s growth.
