Govt action on faulty high-rise

GUWAHATI, February 19: Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today asserted that construction of buildings in violation of the norms would not be tolerated and the Government has already instructed the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) that if necessary, such buildings should be demolished. Replying to a Zeo Hour question in the State Assembly, Mahanta said that the Government formed a five member committee to examine the houses in the city and to identify the houses constructed by violating the norms. He said that the Government has already issued instruction to the Deputy Commissioner and Sub-Divisional Officers on the steps to be taken during and after earthquake. The civil defence wing has also been activated to train the people, he added. Earlier, raising the matter, Dilip Kumar Saikia referred to the devastation caused in Gujarat by the earthquake on January 26 and said that the seismologists have predicted a giant quake in Assam and immediate steps should be taken by the Government to minimise the devastation. Saikia said that the GMDA has already identified 51 high-rise buildings in the city as vulnerable. He said that a number of buildings were constructed in utter violation of the norms and many buildings do not have proper approach roads to facilitate movement of fire brigade vehicles. He pointed out that Guwahati city does not have enough open space to provide shelter to the people if mega quake hits Assam. He demanded immediate steps to demolish all the unauthorised constructions. The AGP legislators also suggested that a team of experts should be sent to Gujarat to find the reasons for such large-scale devastation. Girindra Kumar Baruah (AGP) suggested that apart from issuing instructions to the Deputy Commissioners, the Government should engage Non-Government Organi-sations to educate the people on the measures to be taken during an earthquake to minimise the damages.