The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Tamil Nadu `must adopt National Building Code'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Tamil Nadu `must adopt National Building Code'

Staff Reporter

Fire safety `has least priority in constructions in Chennai' The Fire and Safety Association of India held a seminar on emerging trends in the construction sector and safety norms on Thursday

Chennai : The State Government must make it mandatory that building bylaws include National Building Code (NBC) recommendations, Liaqut Ali Khan, President of the Fire and Safety Association of India, said here on Thursday.

The NBC, which was updated in 2005, provides guidelines for regulation and safety of buildings in India.

However, it is for State governments to direct that local bodies adopt the NBC, which is only advisory in nature.

Building bylaws of local bodies are often tweaked due to political pressure but this can be prevented if the State includes the NBC, Mr. Khan said.

Delhi, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat are some of the states that have adopted the NBC but Tamil Nadu is still lagging behind, he said.

The Fire and Safety Association of India conducted a seminar on emerging trends in the construction sector and safety norms on Thursday.

The association's secretary Dilip Gopal Karnad said that real estate growth was rapid but several buildings were not compliant with safety norms.

No-objection certificates have to be obtained from the Electricity Board, Metrowater Board and Fire Department before the building is put into use.

However, the fire safety certificate gets the least priority in Chennai, Mr. Karnad said.

In some congested parts of the city, apartment complexes and commercial buildings have come up on streets that are too narrow for fire tenders. Disregard for Floor Space Index (FSI) rules lead to illegal parking on streets, thus increasing congestion, said Mr. Karnad.

The Fire and Safety Association, which conducts awareness programmes, plans to give citations to safe and environment-friendly constructions that could serve as a model for others.

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