Although the building that collapsed on Saturday had proper approval Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had said, "It appears the building did not adhere to the approved plan and it suffered from structural defects".
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has begun a crackdown on under-construction buildings in the city after a multi-storey building collapsed on Saturday, leaving 52 people dead.
Twenty teams comprising sixty officials and each headed by a deputy planner or assistant planner will inspect under-construction buildings and prepare a report within a month. Buildings which were recently awarded completion certificate will also be inspected.
"Structures that are found to have violated will be ordered to stop construction immediately. Those which have deviated would be examined against mandatory acceptable standards. If they satisfy norms they would be asked to apply afresh certified by a different structural engineer for approval", a senior officer told NDTV.
Under the scanner on priority would be projects with fifty units and above or those with an area of 50000 sq ft.
Although the building that collapsed on Saturday had proper approval Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had said, "It appears the building did not adhere to the approved plan and it suffered from structural defects".
Another officer from the CMDA told NDTV, "Earlier we used to inspect only when they sought completion certificate. After the tragedy we can't afford to wait. We are turning pro-active".
The police have arrested six people including the owners of the building, structural engineers and architects. "We are looking at all angles from soil conditions, design and construction material reports. We've asked experts to give us a report and after that we will proceed," said Additional Commissioner of Police Karuna Sagar.