The
Hindu: Thiruvanatpuram: Sunday, 03 January 2016.
The move to
inaugurate the second nine-storey annexe to the government Secretariat without
mandatory clearances, including that of the city Corporation, and without
completion of electrical and plumbing work has raised eyebrows.
The
government has decided to open the building before the announcement of the
elections to the Assembly and has fixed January13 as the tentative date for the
inauguration.
Yet to get
NOC
Information
collected through RTI from the House Keeping (B) wing of the General
Administration Department said the second annexe was yet to get the No
Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services.
Inquiry by
The Hindu revealed that the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services had not been
approached till date for the NOC.
Official
sources said the building did not have the setback prescribed in the Kerala
Municipal Building Rules (KMBR), and movement of fire tenders through the sides
of high-rise building in case of an emergency like blaze would be difficult.
The second
annexe has come up on 131 cents of land adjacent to the first annexe and close
to the Cantonment (north) gate of the Secretariat.
It is mainly
to overcome the space constraints and parking problems on the sprawling main
premises facing the arterial road and the present annexe.
In full swing
Although the
work is on in full swing, the electrical and plumbing works is unlikely to be
completed before January 13. The connectivity between the two annexes for the
hassle-free movement of the personnel and the visitors without stepping onto
the busy road also remains in paper.
The air
conditioning units installed in the annexe were the one purchased for the
National Games held last year, sources said.
The estimate
of the building executed through the PWD’s Special Building section has also
crossed Rs.40 crore.
The estimate
for the building whose works started in 2011 has gone up by another Rs.10
crore.
Moves are
also on at the bureaucratic level to get the TC from city Corporation without
submitting the NOC and the completion report.
The two
lakh-sq ft building was initially to house the finance and taxes wing, a
sub-treasury and three clinics – modern medicine, ayurveda and homoeopathy – to
cater to the health needs of the 5,000-odd Secretariat employees, and a
canteen.
But, the government
move to house the Home Department has come in for flak.
The basement
and the ground floor are for parking and 140-150 cars can be parked on the new
premises.
The building
is a blend of modern and traditional Kerala architecture.
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