Owners and occupiers of specified old buildings in Delhi have been instructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to undertake mandatory structural safety audits in the next three months. This is an order that specifically targets high-rise buildings sanctioned prior to March 21, 2001. This order requires that owners or occupiers should pay for the assessment process.
This order targets old buildings above 15 meters in height including housing societies, schools, colleges, hospitals, and other institutional buildings. Some old buildings below 15 meters can also be included in this order if they receive high footfalls.
The DDA made this public announcement as one of the measures relating to structural safety of old buildings.
Structural Safety Audit Mandatory for High-Rise Buildings Built Prior to 2001
As per the notification by DDA, all high-rise structures having a height of 15 metres or more that were constructed prior to March 21, 2001, need to have a structural safety audit carried out.
The period of three months prescribed by the authorities is meant to help the owners or occupants of the building find professional experts in order to carry out the assessment and see whether there is any need for repair, reinforcement, and retrofitting of the structure.
Structural safety audits usually refer to the assessment of the condition of the structure and its structural parts. Based on the nature and age of the structure, such assessment may include review of available drawings, inspection of the structure and analysis of structural parts.
Buildings Below 15 Metres With High Footfall Also Covered
The DDA's directive is not limited entirely to buildings meeting the 15-metre height threshold.
Buildings sanctioned before March 21, 2001, that are below 15 metres but experience high footfall are also covered by the notice. This brings certain older low-rise buildings used by large numbers of people within the structural safety assessment framework.
The provision is particularly relevant to properties such as institutions and other premises where occupancy or visitor numbers may be considerably higher than those of conventional low-rise residential buildings.
The requirement means that the age, height and use of a building will be relevant when determining whether a structural audit is required under the DDA notice.
Group Housing Societies and Institutional Buildings
The directive specifically covers group housing societies, educational institutions, hospitals and other institutional buildings that fall within the specified criteria.
For group housing societies, the requirement places responsibility on the owners or occupiers to arrange the structural assessment within the prescribed timeframe. Resident welfare associations or other bodies responsible for managing common areas may therefore need to coordinate with qualified structural professionals for the assessment.
Hospitals and educational institutions may also need to undertake the required evaluation where their buildings meet the criteria specified in the notice.
For such properties, the structural assessment can be particularly relevant because the buildings may accommodate residents, students, patients, staff and visitors on a regular basis.
Owners and Occupiers to Bear Audit Cost
The DDA has stated that the fees and costs associated with the structural safety audit will be borne by the owners or occupiers of the concerned buildings.
This places the financial responsibility for compliance on the property rather than the authority.
Owners and occupiers will therefore need to make arrangements for appointing an eligible structural engineer and completing the assessment within the three-month deadline.
The requirement also means that property managers and housing societies may need to factor the audit cost into their maintenance and building safety expenditure.
Structural Engineers Have To Be from Specific Panels
The DDA has laid down that structural safety audits can be performed by structural engineers empanelled with municipal corporations, government departments or government organizations.
This clause helps lay down a system to choose the experts who will perform the assessments. Building owners and users will have to make sure that the structural engineer employed for the assessment fulfills the criteria set by the agency.
The assessment will help determine the current state of the building structure and point out the things that need to be attended to.
Depending on the results of the assessment, the building will be asked to make repairs, strengthening, rehabilitation and other structural modifications.
Retrofitting Wherever Needed
Building structures that are found to be deficient will be asked to undertake retrofitting and other corrective steps wherever needed.
Retrofitting may involve reinforcing existing structures or carrying out other kinds of measures depending upon the nature of deficiencies found out through the assessment.
The actual measures will depend upon the actual condition of the building structure and the assessment of the structures.
Retrofitting is Not Deemed Sanction for Unauthorized Construction
It must be pointed out here that the DDA has explicitly stated that retrofitting would not be regarded as deemed sanction or regularization of unauthorized construction or unauthorized use.
Accordingly, it must be kept in mind that retrofitting should not be considered as an approval of construction which was not authorized under the relevant rules and regulations.
The reason why it is important to differentiate between two is that structural strengthening and regulatory approval are distinct actions altogether. In other words, doing the work for structural safety purposes does not mean legal sanctioning of any unapproved construction or alteration.
Compliance within Three Months
Owners and occupiers of those buildings which are covered by this particular notification have three months in which they can do the structural safety audit.
Three months’ time means that property owners and management bodies have to start the process of hiring an eligible structural engineer, carrying out the inspection and getting the necessary audit done within this period.
If there are any deficiencies in the structures then they need to get corrected accordingly.
Concentrate on Older Structures in Delhi
This direction makes people more concerned about the structural safety of older buildings within Delhi. Those which were approved prior to March 21, 2001 could have been in use for decades and could have had various changes related to occupation or usage through time.
Regular checks would make it easier to notice any problems with the building structure which might not have become apparent at first glance. In cases where there is a large number of occupants, the identification of such problems is important for the building safety overall.
The direction from DDA puts this task onto the shoulders of the owners and occupants, rather than waiting for any specific structural problem to arise.
Responsibilities for Owners/Occupiers
Owners/occupiers of the buildings to which the notice applies will have to:
- Decide whether the building qualifies under the relevant criteria laid down by the DDA.
- Decide whether the sanctioning of the building predates March 21, 2001.
- Determine the height of the building and whether it is above the 15-metre threshold or is one falling under the high-footfall category.
- Hire an empanelled structural engineer of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), government organization, or government institution.
- Undertake the structural safety audit within three months.
- Review the recommendations made in the structural audit.
- Implement repair, retrofitting or other remedial measures where necessary.
- Ensure that the structural modifications do not get taken up as regularization of unauthorized construction.
- Comply with the DDA guidelines to avoid any legal action against them.
This directive provides a clear process through which old buildings will be assessed and any structural issues addressed. The immediate concern would be to complete the structural safety audit, but once the building falls under those which require some interventions, it will have to implement necessary measures too. In case of old residential, commercial and institutional buildings in Delhi, this order means conducting the structural assessment within three months
