After the collapse of a building in Triplicane on Wednesday in which two people died, Mayor Saidai Duraisamy said Corporation officials did not have any information about the permission given to build the additional floors that are alleged to have caused the collapse.
“Both owners of the building have died in the collapse. We will send officials to inquire about the building with their kin tomorrow,” he said. Corporation officials said they do not know when the permission was given or if it was given at all for the two floors that were added to the building. Nor do they know when the floors were built.
Sources said that if the owners had indeed built the additional floors, then the structure would probably be illegal, built without the consent of the Corporation, as the civic body does not provide permission for major modifications to such old buildings. Officials said that if at all an old structure had to be modified, the presence of the original plan was compulsory for consideration. “If there are no building plans for a particular building, then we do not approve further add-ons. We give permission only if they want to demolish and re-build. If there is a plan available, then we may consider it, depending on what the owners want to do,” said an official. They added that one cannot add a second floor to a building which already has houses on the ground floor.
As of now, there is no official classification by the Corporation on what constitutes an old building, nor are there immediate plans to take stock of such old buildings which are in danger of collapsing. “Our engineers conduct routine inspections and if they notice any building that could collapse, we immediately send a notice,” said an official.
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