The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Streamline certification process for buildings'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 19, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Streamline certification process for buildings'

By V. Jayanth and K.T. Sangameswaran

By V. Jayanth and

K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI, JULY 18. Now that the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, has ordered that all thatched structures in schools must be replaced with non-flammable material by July 30, the clock has started ticking for hundreds of schools, not just in rural Tamil Nadu, but in all major towns including Chennai. The question is whether they can comply within 12 days — the deadline set by the Government.

Academics and administrators are now calling for a survey of all temporary structures, which come under the "public" domain. Infernos are dangerous in all cramped locations where people congregate — cinema halls, auditoria, kalyanamandapams, educational institutions and even hotels or restaurants. More than a ban, the Fire Service and police sources want complete compliance of safety regulations. The whole process of certification of these buildings and the issue of `no objection certificates' has to be streamlined and made more transparent. There is always the fear that when rules or regulations become more stringent, the scope for corruption increases.

One of the leading architects here argues: "When Government agencies themselves provide an opportunity to `regularise' violations in buildings through a payment of fee, what is the respect we show for the rules? Exceptions and exemptions are becoming the order of the day and that is the greatest danger to public safety. Agencies such as the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority or the local bodies which approve and licence buildings should not be authorised or encouraged to regularise deviations in plans."

Particularly in respect of educational institutions and cinema halls, planners and Fire Service officials insist that staircases and emergency exits have to be insisted upon. "There cannot be a public building with just one staircase and that too a narrow one. This has to be ensured before any certificate is issued," a senior official says.

Another issue, closely tied to the Kumbakonam tragedy, relates to the kitchen of the noon-meal centres, which function in thousands of schools across the State, including aided schools. The safety in these kitchens — the use of kerosene, firewood and a thatched roof — assumes paramount importance, considering that the Kumbakonam disaster was caused from a fire in the kitchen. Perhaps the Government must come up with separate guidelines for the noon-meal centres and kitchens as well.

In the present system, the Fire Service comes into the picture only when an accident occurs. It is the local bodies and the educational authorities (in the case of schools) who issue licences for both permanent and temporary structures. Administrators suggest that the Fire Service department must be involved in this process and provision of fire fighting equipment must be made mandatory. As use of asbestos and tin sheets could raise health issues, experts can perhaps suggest the right kind of "non-infammable material" that can be used in schools — cheap but safe.

More than rules, it is the implementation and enforcement which matter and this is where corruption comes into play, academics say. They welcome the Chief Minister's move to set up a committee at the district level, with two representatives from the Parents-Teachers' Association to inspect all schools for compliance with the new guidelines. This could be made permanent to periodically inspect and monitor safety measures in schools, they suggest.

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