India Today: New Delhi: Sunday, January 12, 2014.
With the
Delhi Development Authority ( DDA) expected to come up with its new and
affordable housing scheme soon, an RTI has revealed that several flats allotted
by the authority under its 2010 housing scheme do not conform to fire safety
regulations.
These flats
which cost around ` 90 lakh, are in the Mukherjee Nagar area of north Delhi and
the RTI reply shows that despite not getting the necessary fire safety
clearance, the DDA went ahead and allotted the flats to the owners.
Shortcomings;
The RTI reply
from November 2013 reveals that the DDA was aware of the risk it was taking but
still took full payment from the allottees and gave them the possession letters
in May 2012.
The series of
RTI's filed with regard to the DDA flats revealed several shortcomings.
It states
that the width of the staircase in these multi- storied flats does not comply
with the Delhi Fire Services ( DFS) norms and hence it has not issued fire
safety certificate for this complex.
While it is
mandatory have fire safety clearance for multistoried buildings, the DDA failed
to anything about this," one of the flat owners said.
While it is
not safe to reside in a flat which does not comply with fire safety norms, the DDA
handed out possession May 2012 without installing fire- fighting equipment and
installing lifts.
According to
the RTI reply, the DDA's electrical division has also confirmed that it has not
received fire safety clearance certificate from the Delhi Fire Services and
that it is pending on account of construction activities.
The RTI also
states that there is no provision of path lights surrounding the central parks
and accordingly, no lights are provided for in the complex.
According to
the RTI, the shortcomings mentioned by the fire service department that needs
rectification are the width of the internal road, which is less than the
required 6 metres, and lack of turning radius.
Also the
width of the staircases varies in all the blocks and is less than the required
width ( 1,350 mm by 1,250 mm).
The RTI has
found that keeping in view the above shortcomings fire safety clearance could
not be considered for the Mukherjee Nagar complex at this stage.
"It
looks impractical to widen the staircases or broaden the roads after all the
construction has been carried out. This means these buildings can never get
fire safety clearance," another allottee said.
This is not
all. Those who had moved in 2012 had to wait for water connection and it was
only in August 2013 that the complex got water supply.
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