Corpn fails to spot dilapidated buildings in city

COIMBATORE: A week after the wall of an abandoned building of Radhakrishna Mills collapsed killing one, the rest of the weakened wall, about 30 feet high, is yet to be demolished. The notice issued by the civic body’s town planning wing to the owners of the Radhakrishnan Mills after the collapse on May 14, has not served its purpose.
Neither have the owners demolished it nor have the corporation officials taken any action, said a resident.Activists say heavy rain could easily give way to another mishap but officials, on their part merely acknowledged their duty to take immediate action.
“With the monsoons around the corner, and such buildings posing danger not only to the residents but also to the commuters, inaction by the civic body surprises us,” said a city-based civic activist.
As for the rest of the city, poorly maintained structures only in central and east zone has been identified, completely ignoring the other areas. The officials stated various reasons for not being able to conduct inspections. One of them is the election duty.
“In central zone, we have identified five buildings and issued notices to two of them. We are inspecting other buildings as well,” said an official.
All these five buildings are commercial complexes that house several shops. In east zone, two housing units and an old warehouse have been identified, he added. But in the south, north and west zones the idea of inspection is yet to take shape.
Even in the north zone which houses Radhakrishna Mills, the official concerned said they have not identified any other building so far due to their busy schedule.