Greater Bengaluru Authority directs builders to engage registered structural engineers

Coming on the heels of the debate over fixing accountability on empanelled engineers in cases of structural defects, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) recently issued a public notice directing builders and building owners to undertake construction through registered structural engineers.

A senior GBA official said that during verification in the five corporations under the GBA, it was unearthed that after registered structural engineers, architects, engineers or supervisors submit building plans online and obtain approvals, building owners engage other unregistered players for design and supervision during the construction of the buildings.

“There won’t be accountability when unregistered engineers take up work and any defect develops later in a project. In several cases, approved plans are violated when unregistered individuals are tasked with construction,” the officer said.

“In many cases, it is because the building engineer or supervisor will be looking for extra construction, coaxing the owner, leading to violations of approved plans, which ultimately results in denial of the occupancy certificate (OC) and completion certificate,” the officer explained.

However, the officer said that following the Supreme Court order on snapping electricity and water supply in cases without occupancy and clearance certificates, cases of illegal constructions have reduced. “Field officers have reported fewer deviations compared to how it was a few years ago. The SC directive has instilled fear among building owners,” the officer said.

In a recent incident, a wing of an apartment complex in south Bengaluru, which was yet to be occupied, developed a tilt. Initially, when the GBA was questioned about the issuance of an OC for the wing, officials had said that empanelled engineers give reports to the GBA, based on which the OC is issued, and had placed the blame on the registered engineer. The South Corporation had also summoned the structural engineer to show cause for the tilt.

While the development followed the incident, the GBA officer said that the tilt case was due to an error in the soil testing report. The present public notice was not related to the case but it could help reduce the illegal constructions. Now, the GBA has again provided for unregistered engineers, who have the required qualifications specified in building bylaws, to get empanelled with the GBA, and will also attend training programmes.