Patna,(BiharTimes): A large number of Patnaites spent two consecutive nights––besides several hours of Saturday and Sunday––in Gandhi Maidan, various parks, or in grounds of colleges, schools, madarsas and other open spaces.But one thing needs to be noticed. The proportion of apartment-dwellers in these places was more than those living in other residential houses.
As most of these apartments are high-rise structures built in violation of norms and rules their residents/owners are not very sure about the strength or weakness of their foundations. Not to speak of being quake-proof most of them do not conform to other basic rules.Map of hundreds of such apartments were passed when Senthil Kumar was the Commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation in 2009-10. The construction boom in Bihar was then widely applauded by the media as well as the ruling Janata Dal (United) and BJP.
The fact is that the 11 per cent GDP was achieved because of the big growth in this sector. But that was not the whole truth.
When Kuldeep Narayan became the PMC Commissioner and tried to rein in the builders he was shown the door. For this both the Janata Dal (United) and it’s the then ally the Bharatiya Janata Party are equally responsible as four important saffron party leaders––Ashwani Choubey, Prem Kumar, Bhola Singh and Sushil Kumar Modi––held the portfolio of urban development and housing department between 2005 and 2013.
Though the Patna high court too tried to check the rampant construction, yet it proved too little too late. Patna was reduced to a concrete jungle.Ironically, chief minister Nitish Kumar had repeatedly warned
that if a massive earthquake ever hits Patna it would completely devastate the city killing thousands. Yet all these illegal construction came up during his chief ministership. Today in this hour of crisis there is a conspiracy of silence on the issue. The main opposition, the BJP, is not speaking at all for obvious reasons. Before 2005 at least some norms were followed.
As there is practically no responsibility on builders after he hands over the apartments and disappears the flat-owners know little about the house in which they live. In contrast the onwers of general residential house know well about the strength or even the weakness of their house. They are generally two or three storied buildings. So those who live in them are at least more sure than the apartment-dwellers.On Saturday and Sunday nights hundreds of apartments were completely vacated. But the problem with the apartments is that they endanger the life of people living in the vicinity too.
“I am sure about the strength of my double-storied house. But what I fear most is the two big apartments on two sides of my house. If, God forbids, anyone of them collapses it would destroy my house too,” S N Sinha, lawyer, an owner of a house in Pataliputra told BiharTimes.
It is difficult to say whether the two earthquakes on April 25 and 26––besides, a number of aftershocks on both the days––wil teach the Patnaites a lesson or not. Or will the life be as usual after a few days. It is difficult to say.
