Structural engineer to be responsible if building collapses

Against the backdrop of several cases of building collapse in and around Mumbai this monsoon, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said that structural engineers would be held responsible for durability of a building.
Chavan said in the Legislative Assembly that every structural engineer would have to register with government authorities and get a license.
"Every building with more than 15-metre height will have to submit structural plan prepared by such a structural engineer," he said.
It would be checked if the building sticks to the structural plan, he said.
After completion of construction, the engineer would have to certify that the building has been constructed as per plan and only then it will get occupation certificate.

If any mishap happens in the next 30 years, the structural engineer would be blacklisted, and a criminal action will be taken against him/her, Chavan said.
On a demand that Floor Space Index be the same across the state, Chavan said a committee headed by Principal Secretary, set up in November 2012, was preparing a policy for civic corporations and councils across the state, except Mumbai.