prasad1
Active member
On June 28, a four-story building in the city suddenly toppled over killing 10 people, including five children. That same day, an eleven-floor building under construction came crashing down in the southern Indian city of Chennai, killing 61 workers. Both incidents made headlines outside India -- and rightly so.
But for many of the people living in these neighborhoods, the publicity is not necessarily welcome. That's because they're among the poorest and most vulnerable -- on one hand they fear for the safety of their homes, and on the other they fear being forcibly evicted and their homes destroyed. They have nowhere else to go.
So when TV crews arrive, many are understandably defensive.
Indian building collapse raises questions India building collapses
As we filmed in Laxmi Nagar, a neighborhood of eastern Delhi located along the Yamuna River, pockmarked with ramshackle residential blocks, a man approached us and questioned whether we had the right to film.
"You know, everyone gets worried when they see cameras pointing at their buildings," he explained. "As the leader of this market association, we have to inquire about the purpose of your shoot."
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It's not just Delhi; decrepit constructions that don't conform to safety codes are a big problem in cities and towns across India, says Chandan Ghosh, from the Indian home ministry's National Institute of Disaster Management. He has surveyed Delhi's structures for decades, and says most break basic building regulations. He says the problem is so pervasive that enforcement has become impossible.
"Our systems are not equipped to enforce engineering standards required to build safe houses. There's a gross shortage of manpower, expertise -- and maybe will."
The Delhi residential block that caved in on June 28 was built on a plot barely 19 square yards. With no pillars or beams to support its floors, it collapsed after neighbors starting removing earth to re-build their own house.
But for many of the people living in these neighborhoods, the publicity is not necessarily welcome. That's because they're among the poorest and most vulnerable -- on one hand they fear for the safety of their homes, and on the other they fear being forcibly evicted and their homes destroyed. They have nowhere else to go.
So when TV crews arrive, many are understandably defensive.
Indian building collapse raises questions India building collapses
As we filmed in Laxmi Nagar, a neighborhood of eastern Delhi located along the Yamuna River, pockmarked with ramshackle residential blocks, a man approached us and questioned whether we had the right to film.
"You know, everyone gets worried when they see cameras pointing at their buildings," he explained. "As the leader of this market association, we have to inquire about the purpose of your shoot."
............................
It's not just Delhi; decrepit constructions that don't conform to safety codes are a big problem in cities and towns across India, says Chandan Ghosh, from the Indian home ministry's National Institute of Disaster Management. He has surveyed Delhi's structures for decades, and says most break basic building regulations. He says the problem is so pervasive that enforcement has become impossible.
"Our systems are not equipped to enforce engineering standards required to build safe houses. There's a gross shortage of manpower, expertise -- and maybe will."
The Delhi residential block that caved in on June 28 was built on a plot barely 19 square yards. With no pillars or beams to support its floors, it collapsed after neighbors starting removing earth to re-build their own house.
