The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Tuesday while issuing a list of dangerous buildings in the city said that a total of 475 buildings have been declared dangerous under section 265 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act after a ward-wise survey was conducted in 2021-22.
There is no change in the total number of dangerous buildings in the fresh survey. Even last year before the monsoon, the civic body had declared 475 buildings under the dangerous category.
Every year, before the monsoon, the civic body declares a list of dangerous buildings and it appeals to citizens to vacate as it can collapse at any time and cause loss of life and property.
This year, the civic body has not provided the exact number of buildings that fall under the C-1 category which need to be demolished immediately. Last year, of the 475 buildings, 65 structures were under the C-1 category or high-risk. The C-1 category buildings are in the high-risk category, uninhabitable.
Buildings that have been declared dangerous have been sent notice under Section 264 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act. The notice states that the owners or occupants of the dangerous buildings have been informed to stop using them for residential or commercial purposes. It also clearly states that the electrical and water connections of the C-1 category building will be disconnected.
As per Section 265 (a) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, buildings that have been in use for more than 30 years are required to undergo a Structural Audit by a Construction Engineer or Structural Engineer registered with Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The date of the building will be considered when the occupation certificate (fully or partially) was issued.
The civic body will impose a Rs 25,000 penalty for not carrying out the structural audit and submitting the report in time. The penalty will be collected at the time of the collection of annual property tax.
The responsibility of carrying out the structural audit lies with owners or occupants, the civic body has said.
Meanwhile, the NMMC has made available the list of engineers on its official website for carrying out the structural audit.
