Architects and engineers hired by the owner of a plot to construct a building, and who sign on the building permit issued by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, will have to submit fortnightly reports about the progress of the work, the KMC has decided.
The requirement of fortnightly reports will force the architects and engineers to supervise the construction and ensure that the materials being used are of good
quality.
It will lead to greater scrutiny and reduce chances of deviation from the plan approved by the KMC, officials said.
The KMC allows empanelled licensed building surveyors (LBS), who are engineers, to design and plan buildings that are up to five storeys in height.
Any building taller than that can only be designed by an architect empanelled by the KMC. An empanelled architect, however, can also design buildings up to five storeys in height.
A senior KMC official said that though architects and engineers sign on the permits issued by the civic body, many of them stop supervising the construction after obtaining the permits.
“This may lead to the possibility of construction materials of poor quality being used. The fortnightly reports will make architects and engineers more accountable for the construction,” the official said.
“They are empanelled with us, which is why they are able to design and plan a building within the KMC area. To us, they represent the plot owner,” said the official.
“They also collect a fee from the plot owner. They are accountable to the KMC as well as the plot owner. It is their responsibility to ensure that the building is being constructed according to the approved plan. They should also make sure that proper materials are being used.”
The decision to seek fortnightly reports comes in the wake of the collapse of a five-storey under-construction building in Garden Reach’s Azhar Molla Bagan around midnight on March 17, killing 12 people.
The Garden Reach building was constructed without any permission from the KMC, officials said. There are many buildings across the city portions of which are built illegally.
Metro reported about a six-storey building in Bowbazar whose developer had the KMC’s permission for four storeys. Two more floors were added illegally and the KMC demolished them.
“Adding floors illegally is common. Architects or licensed building surveyors will be held responsible for such violations. We may even cancel their licence so they can no longer work in the KMC area,” said the official.
The provision to cancel the licence issued by KMC was there but the civic body is planning to issue a communique to remind the professionals that they will face action if there is any violation in the projects they are associated with.