Close Down Unsafe Complexes
Urimai Karangal, a human rights organisation, has appealed to the District Administration and the Coimbatore Corporation to close down all multi-storeyed commercial complexes that were found unsafe to the public. Contending that lack of safety amounted to violation of the rights of the people, State president of the organisation N.M. Anantharajan has appealed in a petition to Collector V. Palanikumar, Mayor R. Venkatachalam and Corporation Commissioner V.K. Shanmugham for action against unsafe structures. Seal all unsafe buildings that put people’s lives at peril and focussed only on business, he said.
Coimbatore city was developing fast and its impact could be seen in the increase in the number of multi-storeyed shopping complexes and office buildings on Oppanakara Street, R.S. Puram, Raja Street, Cross-Cut Road, 100 Feet Road and Avanashi Road. These buildings did not have adequate fire safety precautions or equipment to put out fire. The petition pointed out that the festival seasons such as Deepavali were approaching and these would only see more people visiting shops, mostly in their lakhs.
The District Administration could initiate measures to ensure safety in the buildings. All the unsafe buildings, including office complexes, should be identified and a list of these should be prepared. A panel of construction experts should be involved in assessing the condition of the buildings and in identifying violation of rules. Buildings that had violated rules and compromised on safety should be demolished, the petition said.
