HC asks Chief secy reasons of non compliance on action plan to make Delhi buildings quake safe

The Delhi High Court Friday asked the Delhi Chief Secretary to file an affidavit explaining the reasons for not complying with its previous orders on an action plan to make the buildings in the national capital earthquake-proof.

A bench of Justices G S Sistani and Anup Jairam Bhambhani granted a last opportunity to the Delhi government to notify the action plan, failing which the Chief Secretary would have to be personally present in the court.

The court said a copy this order along with the orders passed on August 26, 2015, February 9, 2016, February 1 and May 1, 2019 in the case, be brought to the knowledge of the Chief Secretary for appropriate action.

It listed the matter for further hearing on February 8.

The court in its various orders has directed the authorities to form an action plan to make buildings compliant with requirements of the National Building Code 2005 for seismic zone-IV, where the city is placed.

The bench was hearing a PIL by advocate Arpit Bhargava questioning how safe were the buildings in Delhi if an earthquake, like that in Nepal, occurs here. The April 2015 Nepal earthquake had killed nearly 9,000 people and left about 22,000 injured.

Bhargava said if the authorities would have complied with the court's previous orders, the situation in the city would not have worsened so much and some serious action has to be taken.

Delhi government's counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi told the bench that the action plan has been prepared and the Delhi government's Law Department has sent back the file for clarification on some points.

The government's status report said they have clarified the points raised by the Law Department and the file has been again sent to it for vetting of draft notification of extended action plan.

The court had earlier observed that Delhi fell in a high risk seismic zone IV and had sought action plans from various authorities to ensure that buildings in the city survived an earthquake.

It had also noted only 25 per cent buildings in the national capital are constructed with a sanctioned plan and authorised in accordance with the law.

The remaining 75 per cent of Delhi appeared to be entirely outside the building regularisation as they are unauthorised, the court had then observed.