Lessons from the Tiruvottiyur building collapse
The Hindu
The time has come for a thorough reassessment of erstwhile SCB tenements
Following the collapse of the building in Tiruvottiyur, activists have demanded an overhaul of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (the erstwhile Slum Clearance Board-SCB) “tenements’ quality control mechanism and a study of the quality of the old tenements across the State”.
Reports also say that the “Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) on Tuesday constituted five committees, with support from Anna University, to evaluate the quality of its tenements in 62 sites in Chennai that are at least 25 years old. The committees will evaluate and recommend by Friday whether these tenements have to be demolished and reconstructed or not.”
Also of concern and importance is the statement of the MD of TNUHDB that buildings in 61 schemes of a total of 123 such schemes in Chennai have already been evaluated. Of the total of 22,271 housing units, 20,453 housing units have been recommended for demolition and reconstruction — i.e. 91% has been found unusable. Who has done this earlier evaluation is not clear as also what were its Terms of Reference. Be that as it may, if the units in the remaining 62 schemes also do not meet standards, then there is the very strong likelihood of another 90% finding itself under the hammer. Who is to bear the cost of this and what will it mean for other welfare schemes?