MCD's height of negligence?

MCD Civic Centre to be inaugurated on Thursday despite lacking safety clearances

MCD Civic Centre to be inaugurated on Thursday despite lacking safety clearances

April 22 will be a high point for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), as it is the inauguration day of its new address. The Rs 650 crore civic centre, with 28 floors, will bring under one roof the deliberative wing and different offices of the MCD, which looks after 96 per cent of areas of Delhi.


Low point The MCD commissioner has confirmed that the agency has
not secured mandatory clearancesu00a0 for the civic centre worth Rs 650 crore.u00a0
file pic

But the city's tallest building is set for inauguration on Thursday even though the MCD is yet to procure mandatory clearances from various departments. Sources in the civic body said, the MCD has not yet got the approval of the Delhi Fire Service department which gives fire safety clearance and the civic body's own Building department, which issues the structural safety certificate for all the buildings in the city.

"Our team had visited the building around 15 days ago.u00a0 The team was not satisfied. So, we had suggested some modifications. MCD has not reverted back to us so far. Whenever they do so, our team will go to inspect the structure. No fire clearances have been granted to them," said RC Sharma, chief fire officer, Delhi.

MCD commissioner KS Mehra confirmed that the agency has not secured the various mandatory clearances from the different departments. "It is in the process. By the time we occupy the building all the clearances would be secured," said Mehra.

So what was the need to inaugurate the building in such a hurry?u00a0 No one has any clear answers. Sources say that it could take about four more months before the MCD moves into its new address. " We had orders from seniors to complete the work as soon as possible as the building had to be inaugurated by April-end," said a senior official associated with the civic centre project.

To let!

The Civic Centre has been constructed in an area of 1,16,750 square metres. After completion, all the head offices of different departments of the MCD situated at Town Hall and other areas of the city will be shifted to this building.u00a0 The Civic Centre has an auditorium with 1000 seats, beside spaces for an art gallery, restaurants etc. The MCD has spent a whopping Rs 58 crore onu00a0 the furniture of the building. As many as 5,000 employees of the municipal body will sit in the building. Nearly 20 companies, including the Income Tax Department, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), LIC, SEBI, Delhi Tourism and some nationalised banks have shown keen interest to have their offices in the building. The MCD is expected to get Rs 200 crore per year as rent from the property. The civic body is renting out a major portion of the building.

Sources said, the Delhi traffic police also had raised issues over the impending traffic chaos after the building becomes functional. However, no answers are forthcoming on whether the issue has been resolved or not.

DCP traffic police, Rupender Kumar claimed he had no knowledge of the issue as he has just taken over the charge of the area.u00a0

In the backdrop of the Kolkata and Bangalore high-rise fire incidents, the callousness of the MCD on acquiring mandatory clearances reveals chinks in its own policy.

Inauguration politics?
By inviting Home Minister, P Chidambaramu00a0 and Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit for the inauguration of the building, the BJP ruled MCD has tried to take the opposition Congress Party onboard. Congress has been opposing naming of the building as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre, after the former Jansangh leader.
u00a0
Also Mayor Kanwar Sain is trying to show his strength before the MCD mayor polls by invitingu00a0 former Deputy Prime Minister Mr LK Advani as chief guest andu00a0 Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj as special guest.