Tragedies strike us at the most unexpected moment. The earthquake in Nepal and the floods in Kashmir provide valuable lessons to us. Kerala has to be prepared for any such disasters. We should do a fact check on the preparedness of the State Disaster Management Authority.
Kerala is conducting many studies in this regard. But we do not see many attempts at executing the plans, training personnel or changing rules.
Not long ago, so many people died when a hospital in Kolkata went up in flames. The tragedy was exacerbated because there was no access to fire engines and ambulances.
Things are not different in Kerala. We do not have enough land to widen our roads. How many roads have been widened in Kerala in the last 20 years? How many vehicles were added to the roads in the period? We should examine these things.
There are people who seek permission to build a hospital, school, auditorium or apartment after buying at a bargain plots on narrow roads. They argue that the local self-government bodies are responsible for widening the roads.
It is high time that our authorities insist that permission for community buildings will be allowed only along wide roads. Without such measures, we are inviting tragedies.
When you build a multi-storeyed building, you at least need a pedestrian pathway and enough space for a fire engine to enter. With the 2013 amendments to building rules, the minimum requirement for road width has actually been reduced. Such interventions to favour vested interests affect the state as a whole.
Let us recall the tragedy at Thambanoor which caused the death of six people in 2010 February. There was no room for rescue operations. The police and the fire force had to strive for 24 hours to save lives.
Any building plan has to provide for open space at the ground level to take into account safety requirements. The Thambanoor tragedy was caused by the structural anomaly that happened when a building was annexed to an existing one.
Nobody gives a thought to the strength of the structure when they add floors on top of it. There are no experts in any local self-government bodies in Kerala to examine the structural design of new multi-storeyed buildings or to certify that they are safe. Permission is granted on the structure stability certificate submitted by the applicant.
Local bodies are unable to check the quality of the cement, sand and steel bars used in construction. Their ratio is seldom checked. What if Kerala shivers like Nepal?
The National Building Code lays down directives for construction of buildings. Any violation of the code naturally leads to disasters. Rules have to be amended to insist that open space has to be provided at the ground level as buildings soar. This is the only way we can be prepared for tragedies like Thambanoor, Kolkata or Nepal.
It is time that we overhaul the rules and regulations to ensure safety without any other considerations.
(The writer is former chief town planner)