INDIA NEEDS A CENTRALISED FORENSIC ENGINEERINFG AGENCY

NEED A FORENSIC ENGINEERING AGENCY The Chief Minister of Delhi has stated that all the fourth floors of Delhi buildings will be sealed and the adjoining buildings , next to the collapsed building, would be demolished. It is the time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give a wakeup call to MoH UA , Ministry of Law and Justice and MHA to put their heads together to create a law and Law enforcement system on the construction of buildings in the country. The foremost requirement for the Government is the need to assess the violations in the specifications on the strength of Concrete structures, including that of Building materials as well as hygienic living conditions The three Ministries may have to initiate the process of setting up a National Structural Engineering Forensic Department and Laboratory. In a technically progressive country, the Government cannot rely on academic considerations and Private services for assessments. A Stringent regulatory structure can be instituted only if the enforcement mechanism has a technical assessment and evaluation mechanism. A Vigilance section under such a system would conduct periodic assessment of buildings and the living conditions and can recommend time to time corrective measures. But it is for the Government to see that people are not harassed and such an arrangement does not create a space for bribery and corruption. The Judiciary in such matters may have to examine the flaws and failures in the technical specifications and parameters of the structures as a criminal aspect. The death caused by the structural collapse cannot be taken as a culpable act of murder or negligence. The buildings are not weapons; the owners of the building have no third eye or gadgets to assess the structural weakness that occurs to buildings over a period of time. Equally as the Government machinery sleeps over a volcano, the building owners sleep in the cosiness of the cushion provided by the government. It is not an acceptable norm that the Government wakes up from the slumbering sleep over the noise and shock of a catastrophic incident, axes few officials and orders sealing and demolitions. It can only be said to be an irrational action. The governments have to be technically sound and justified in their actions while dealing with manmade structures. Education has been redefined with Vocational training together with skill and capacity building schemes, The country has a separate Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It is not certain whether the Vocational Training facilities in the schools under the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Skill Development have joint formulations. Out of 1, 3 lac crore budgetary provision for Education in the current budget, how much would be spent on vocational training. It would have been a better possibility if some share of the 9,886 crore in the present budget for capacity building is invested in vocational training, The country will not have drop outs. The country would have qualified masons, construction labourers, carpenters, farm labourers and skilled artisans. Why should everyone study regular arts, science and commerce subjects to avail Secondary and Higher Secondary qualifications? Vocational Training can be elevated to get secondary and Higher secondary Certificates without written examinations, that is how the country in the coming decades have to transform. If such qualified skilled workers enter into construction and the building material sectors, they would be well versed with the strength of materials and quality specifications. Delhi and the satellite cities fall under class IV seismic Zone. After the Chamoli earthquake in 1999 several specifications were introduced in the Reinforced Concrete Structures, building materials, composition of mortar along with other structural specifications and standards. The walls of the building in a row in Delhi are brick line contact structures with no plastering or waterproofing in between. The water seepage and withering aggravated by free Lime reaction has drastically reduced the life of such structures. Most of the buildings in the organised colonies of Delhi, set up to accommodate the refugees have become outdated crossing the life expectancy of concrete structures. Yet, some have added two and three floors above the original Structures, without considering the strength of the foundations ratio to the height ,without proper pile structures to hold the raised access floors . Imbalances in the weight distribution have added failures with the over weight added by improper mounting of Air Conditioners. Delhi has 369 recognised villages, and more than half of them have been urbanised. Over the past 20- 30 years, these villages have made disproportionate growth with compact new additions rising above the specifications. Can the Government of Delhi or Union of India deny that nearly or over more than half of Delhi Sleeps on "False Floors"? Most of the old Villages in Delhi grew up with the rising influx of candidates for NEET, other JEEs, Civil Service coaching and Foreign Medical Graduates Examination, apart from new aspirants for jobs . Over 15 new educational institutions sprouted in Delhi after the 1990s, following the IT Rush. Most of these institutions did not have inhouse hostel facilities. Preference to Delhi over other satellite cities is mainly due to the Policing system and societal mindset. Incidence of societal and racial shaming and violent incidents in Delhi has become comparatively marginal by mid 1990s. All these factors account for the rising pressure on accommodation in Delhi. The country has Tenancy Acts. But do not have standard specifications for renting accommodations. Unified Bylaws of Delhi Develop Authority in 2016 had come with specifications on the construction and other mandatory components for sanctions. It should not have been the end. Rentals constitute a people to people relationship, that do not have any official interactions and approvals. But the Government has to enforce security, safety and healthy living conditions, with proper ventilation, water supply, and hygienic indoor conditions. The Floor, air conditioning, refrigerator, water filters and day light efficiency are to be considered among the minimum facilities and Standards of Rental Accommodation. Many Studio apartments have been re modelled converting two and three bedrooms -like cellular jails with inmates above the holding capacity and in gross violation of the standards of Air Change Per Hour. Most of the buildings have low cost -all weather coatings or paintings that over a period releases micro particles that affects the breathing and pulmonary health of infants to senior citizens. Almost all buildings before 1980 to 2000 would be sick buildings , unsuitable for living. The governments are yet to give consideration for setting up Indoor Climate Standards. In the event of an earthquake of catastrophic proportion or fire incident , the rescue missions cannot get easy access through the by lanes with a lineup of parked vehicles. The country has a NDMA that has to be vigil and vigilant to recommend the government on laws and policies required to eliminate manmade disasters . If a catastrophic incident to the proportion of Bhopal, Latur or Morbi occurs , do we have preparedness to contain the situation in a couple of minutes and hours. Even by now early warning systems for evacuation , evacuation plans and safe area advisories seems to be not in place. Fire Force departments should have directions periodic reviews of indoor and common area firefighting units and their efficiency and wiring load to bearing assessments for electrical circuits,