Fitness checks of old buildings still pending in Kozhikode

Even as the monsoon gains strength, a comprehensive fitness check to assess the stability of old buildings located in thickly populated areas is yet to take place in the city. Though the Fire and Rescue squads have completed the checks for most newly constructed buildings, the local administrators have not come up with a concrete action plan to audit the safety of older ones which are still in use or are in an abandoned state.

In Kozhikode district, only the Nadapuram grama panchayat has come up with a solid action plan to prepare a list of all old buildings within its limits and demolish the ones posing a threat to public safety. Inspections have been completed, covering the majority of old structures that are over 40 years old, at Nadapuram and Kallachi. 

According to the local administrators, notice will be served under the Disaster Management Act on the owners concerned if a building is posing a threat to public safety. Licences of traders who operate from dangerously old buildings will not be renewed, they said.

In Kozhikode city, the number of old and abandoned buildings is high in areas such as Mankavu, Beypore, Puthiyara, Nadakkavu, Vengeri, Paropadi, Puthiyangadi and Elathur. Though some buildings have been recently renovated for rental purposes, the majority of old buildings are not in a stable condition. Reconstruction is delayed mainly because owners fear losing their land for road development works.

The city also has old buildings with active electricity connections, which can affect the safety of nearby structures. In the absence of effective surveillance, some abandoned buildings are also the meeting points of anti-social elements and drug pushers. Though structural fitness certificate has been made mandatory for all buildings that are over 30 years old in most metro cities, the enforcement of the instruction is yet to take place within Kozhikode Corporation limits.

Revenue Department officials said stringent instructions had been issued to local administrators to check the stability of old buildings and adopt measures to demolish the dangerous ones after serving notices on the owners concerned.