The Hindu : New Delhi News : Roofs of VIP bungalows no longer safe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Roofs of VIP bungalows no longer safe

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: After the roof collapse at Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ residence here last month, the roof of the living room of Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora’s Lodhi Road residence came down on Sunday. Fortunately, the Minister was away in Myanmar on a two-day visit.

The Central Public Works Department, responsible for maintenance of VIP bungalows, has carried out an inspection at the bungalow and undertaken repair work.

Narrating the incident at the Health Minister’s residence on Safdarjung Road, a Health Ministry official said: “The Minister’s youngest daughter was rolling on the sofa in the living room just minutes before the roof came down. The Minister was at home when his second daughter saw the roof collapsing and raised an alarm. A portion of the roof had come down.”

“After this incident, CPWD engineers removed the plaster and put a wire mesh along with cement mortar on the roof structure. According to them, such incidents have occurred in Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone in the past as the houses have outlived their age,” he added. The Health Minister sent a letter to the Prime Minister expressing serious concern at the matter. Said the official: “The matter was also taken up at the Cabinet meeting following which the PMO directed the Ministry of Urban Development to conduct a study on all the bungalows in the VIP area and submit a report.” The CPWD chief engineer in charge of VIP zone, L. P. Srivastav, said: “We are in the process of preparing the report. It should be ready by next month. Meanwhile, routine conditional services on the buildings are being provided to maintain them. However, as all these bungalows were built in the 1920s, they have outlived their life and need to be replaced in a phased manner as their maintenance is not only economically unviable but also risky.”

“In most cases it is the ceiling plaster that has come down so terming it ‘roof collapse’ would be wrong. The problem is that the roofs are made of tiles and bricks that have their own life instead of a proper concrete structure,” he added. According to Mr. Srivastav, the CPWD plans to replace the buildings with new construction which will reduce the risks and address the safety issue.

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