Other States - Puducherry   

Hazard safety cell to assess seismic strength of buildings

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

NEW TECHNIQUES : G. Theva Neethi Dhas, Additional Secretary (Revenue)- cum- District Collector (second from right), at a two-day workshop for masons in Puducherry on Sunday.

PUDUCHERRY: As a means to ascertain safety of existing buildings in Puducherry, the Hazard Safety Cell of the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has identified a number of buildings to assess their seismic strength.

Additional Secretary (Revenue) cum District Collector G. Theva Neethi Dhas said the cell has initially identified the Legislative Assembly, the Raj Nivas, the Chief Secretariat and the Government General Hospital for assessment works.

He was inaugurating a two-day workshop for masons on ‘Construction techniques for earthquake-safe buildings’ organised by the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management and United Nations Development Programme on Sunday.

“The high-level committee of the department had constituted the cell. It carries out propagation of messages on safety measures, assesses seismic strength of buildings and takes up retrofitting measures to strengthen the structures,” he said.

The department had also identified several school buildings. “We want to assess the buildings where more people converge. On assessing the seismic resistance of the structures, the Cell will take measures to strengthen them,” he said.

Already, the department had trained engineers and architects in capacity building for earthquake risk management and it planned to extend it to other areas of construction. Fitters and bar-benders would also be trained, Mr. Dhas said.

With Puducherry falling in seismic zone-III, he said buildings should be constructed in a proper way. “The Puducherry Planning Authority will give the required specifications for the buildings while granting approval for construction. The government is taking steps towards this,” he said.

He told the masons to procure the required tools through bank loans and subsidies available for them. Each mason received Rs. 150 a day for attending the workshop as compensation for salary, he said.

The Department of Civil Engineering of Pondicherry Engineering College (PEC) was imparting training to the masons. It included lectures and demonstrations on responsibilities of masons in quality control in construction and construction of masontry building for earth safety. The practical session would cover a demonstration on testing building materials.

Chief Engineer of Public Works Department Chander Pal Singh, Chairman of Builders Association of India, Puducherry chapter A. Manikkam and Head of Civil Engineering Department of PEC M.A. Sivasankaran and S. Kothandaraman of the department spoke.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Hazard safety cell to assess seismic strength of buildings
Activity-based learning at government schools in August
Man arrested for assaulting constable
Man found dead
Loans distributed
“Implement rural job scheme”
Kannan flays government
Software firm gesture
Bank’s gesture, a boon to these poor children
Man held for assaulting constable attached to Home Guards

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu