4/11/2020 Three questions on the Chennai building collapse - The Hindu BusinessLine

News

NEWS ANALYSIS

Three questions on the Chennai building

collapse
Meera Siva BL Research Bureau | Updated on November 25, 2017 | Published on July
01, 2014

11
     

As the rubble is being cleared from the 12-storey under-construction

building ‘Trust Heights’ in Porur, Chennai, which collapsed last week,
there are at least three important questions in the minds of home
buyers. Given the pace of multi-storey home construction which has
increased rapidly in the last few years, this is not the rst such
collapse this year. A newly completed ve-storey building in
Canacona, Goa gave way earlier this year.
The foremost concern on a home buyer’s mind is probably about how
to check on the quality of a home he purchases. Agreed, there are very
elaborate procedures laid by the government on soil testing, structural
study and testing the quality of concrete before construction is
undertaken. A lot of data and analysis is needed to ensure that the
building's load is well distributed and a design is created based on the
soil's nature says S Thayalan, a structural engineer. But the ground
reality is that in the scramble for scarce land, the knowledge and
analysis needed to pull off construction of multi-storey structures is
given the short shrift.
One of the prerequisites of getting a Multi Storeyed Buildings (MSB)
approval is a certi cate from a Chartered Engineer or Soil Mechanics
Engineer to certify if the soil has enough load bearing capacity for the
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/Three-questions-on-the-Chennai-building-collapse/article20810732.ece 1/4
4/11/2020 Three questions on the Chennai building collapse - The Hindu BusinessLine

proposed height of the MSB. Approval was granted by the Chennai

Metropolitan Development Authority in this case (Trust Heights), to
the builder Prime Shristi in June 2013, to construct two blocks with 11
oors each, says G Shyam Sundar, an advocate, based on information
from the CMDA website. He notes that “CMDA would not have
sanctioned approval without obtaining the soil test certi cate”.
The second important question that pops into the mind of a home
buyer is the nancial protection he has when the home is under-
construction. Builders can cover their liability through insurance
policies such as the all-risk insurance policy. But the proceeds of a
claim, if any may not be passed on to a home buyer. “While some
developers buy insurance for their under-construction projects, most
of them avoid this additional cost," says Ganesh Vasudevan, CEO of
IndiaProperty.com. For a home buyer, standard re and earthquake
Insurance Policy would not be of any help since normally the policy
excludes faulty construction and only takes effect after project
completion.
Finally, if a home buyer is indeed caught in a situation such as this,
what is the recourse? When the property is under construction, if the
undivided share of land (UDS) had been registered in favour of the
individual buyer, then owners can form an association to ght a case
against the builder and Government agencies, says Sundar. But the
process will be a long drawn one, due to the backlogs in the system.
Published on July 01, 2014

null

real estate (industry) insurance

11
     

COMMENTS

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/Three-questions-on-the-Chennai-building-collapse/article20810732.ece 2/4
4/11/2020 Three questions on the Chennai building collapse - The Hindu BusinessLine

PM Modi has taken correct decision to extend lockdown: Kejriwal

The Hindu Businessline

Government kickstarts process to deposit combined EPF, EPS contribution

The Hindu Businessline

US will retaliate if India does not supply drugs needed to ght coronavirus: Donald
Trump
The Hindu Businessline

Covid-19: India faces greatest economic emergency since Independence, says

Raghuram Rajan
The Hindu Businessline

Book Your Dream Home With Sobha Winchester Chennai, 1/2.5/3/4 BHK Options
Available.
Sobha Winchester | Sponsored

American Lottery Known for ₹10,000 Crores Jackpot Coming to India

theLotter.com | Sponsored

Born Between 1965-1985? Get Term Life Insurance Worth ₹1 Cr at Rs.1884/month*.

Policybazaar.com | Sponsored

Be ready to ght economic impact of Covid-19 on war footing: PM tells Ministers

The Hindu Businessline

Lifting of lockdown: Ball in PM’s court

The Hindu Businessline

What are the legal obligations to pay wages during a lockdown?

The Hindu Businessline

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/Three-questions-on-the-Chennai-building-collapse/article20810732.ece 3/4
4/11/2020 Three questions on the Chennai building collapse - The Hindu BusinessLine

Auto driver needs Rs 15 lakh to save his 2-year-old son

Ketto | Sponsored

Net ix Users - Access Hundreds of New Titles Using This Tool!

ExpressVPN | Sponsored

Admissions are Open at India's first Design University

Anant National University | Sponsored

Quarantine Time? Use This Tool To Access Hundreds of New Streaming Titles
TheTopFiveVPN | Sponsored

Play Rummy Online at Rummy Passion

Rummy Passion | Sponsored

China sold the PPEs to Italy it got as a donation from them: Report
The Hindu Businessline

Chidambaram provides ₹1 crore from MP fund to Mumbai's St George hospital

The Hindu Businessline

Las Vegas Real Estate Prices Might Surprise You

Apartments in Las Vegas | Search Ads | Sponsored

7 Yoga Poses You Should Do First Thing In The Morning

Work + Money | Sponsored

We don't need to raise money: Kapil Dev responds to Shoaib Akhtar's proposal for India
vs Pakistan series
India Today | Sponsored

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/Three-questions-on-the-Chennai-building-collapse/article20810732.ece 4/4