No power if layout plan unapproved
The Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) has written a letter to the power department, asking them not to give connections to any residential building, educational institution, commercial establishment, private hospital or a nursing home, if their building layout is not approved by BDA. The development comes in the wake of several casualties occurring due to lack of emergency services equipped in building premises, said BDA officials. Speaking to TOI, BDA vice-chairman Surendra Kumar Pandey said, “When people don’t get their construction map approved, the buildings are often prone to accidents as proper installation measures don’t get taken care of. Whereas, when a building layout is approved, the development authority ensures installation of fire extinguishers, provision for rain-water harvesting system, amongst others. Officials at the power department have been asked to cross-verify the documents of the premises and check whether approval of the building layouts by BDA were given, ahead of connecting power to the buildings.” According to officials at BDA, there is rampant violation of rules. The builders allegedly develop illegal buildings without getting approval from the concerned authority while some extend the boundaries against a sanctioned map. The buildings which are developed without getting approval lack safety measures. BDA officials added they are yet to identify the exact number of buildings that are unapproved by the authority or have been constructed against the sanctioned map. According to a data accessed by TOI from Bareilly Development Authority in May 2017, only 28 buildings in the city had rainwater harvesting systems installed. The number is very small for a city having population of over 10 lakh, according to experts.
Tags : News/Views