Noida: Structural policy for high-rises approved
Have you been worried about cracks on the walls or uneven floors? If yes, then there is a good news as the Authority has laid out a policy for the structural audit of high-rise projects in Noida. Starting April 1, builders must submit a structural audit report while applying for an Occupancy Certificate. Read on to know how a homeowner can raise a request for structural audit
In a major move, the Noida Authority board has given a green signal to a structural policy proposal for the structural audit of multi-storey buildings in the city in November 2022. The Noida Authority has taken another significant step to ensure the safety of high-rise buildings in Noida. From April 1, 2023, the Noida Authority has made it mandatory for builders applying for Occupancy Certificates (OCs) or partial OCs to submit a structural safety audit report by one of the empanelled institutions. The OC will be issued only on the basis of a satisfactory report from an empanelled institution.
The new structural policy will enable a structural safety audit of buildings every five years. The builders or apartment owners’ associations (AOAs) will bear the expense of the audit, the cost of which will be mutually decided by the empanelled consultant and the builder or AOA, according to the guidelines issued by the Noida Authority.
The need for a structural policy
There are roughly around 100 high-rise projects with multiple towers in the city. The Noida Authority prepared the structural policy on the demand of homebuyers and Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA). The Authority Board has approved the Structural Audit Policy with certain modifications.
What does the structural audit policy entail?
As per the policy, the developer will have to submit the structural audit report from an empanelled IIT or NIT or similar expert institutions before the issuance of partial or full Occupancy Certificate (OC).
However, it further stated that even after the OC has been issued, if a minimum of 25 percent allottees of AOA or the tower complain about the defects, the complaint will be examined by the committee formed at the authority level. It will categorise the complaint as of minor category or major category basis which further action will be taken.
As per Apartment Ownership Act, the responsibility rests on the builder to repair the defects within two years. However, according to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act, the builder is responsible for the removal of structural defects for five years and after five years, the AOA takes care of the same. This period is calculated after the issuance of OC of the entire scheme. In case the defects appear within three to five years, it will be the responsibility of the resident’s association to escalate it to RERA Authority to get resolution from the builder.
List of empanelled technical institutions
The institutions that have been authorised to conduct these building audits are the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT)- Jaipur, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Delhi Technical University (DTU), Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNIT)- Allahabad, Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS)- Pilani, and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) -Roorkee.
Developers’ bodies request more institutions
The industry bodies have sought the inclusion of more institutions on the list. This will provide builders with more options to choose from and create competition among institutions to maintain quality standards. The Noida Authority is considering this request.
This policy was necessitated following incidents of building collapses across the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida. It will ensure that all high-rise buildings in the city comply with safety regulations.
