AGARTALA / NEW DELHI, July 18 (TIWN): Tripura is on the high risk of massive earthquake as it is situated on seismic zone-¬V and has probability of occurrence earthquakes measuring more than 8 magnitudes on Richter scale. Tripura’s capital Agartala already stuck by medium intensity earthquake of 6.9 richter scale on April 13,2016. Though, it indicates earthquakes will result massive collateral damage in the form of casualties and mass injuries but the state government is not taking any preventive measure to manage in case of a major disaster.The revised National Building Code, set to be unveiled later this year, will bring state-of-the-art and most contemporary version of the building code, dealing with futuristic developments, in line with the Narendra Modi government's emphasis on realty reforms.The code, meant to help regulate building construction in the country, lays down a set of minimum provisions for buildings, designed to protect the safety of the public, with regard to structural efficiency, fire and earthquake hazards and health aspects, including environmental concerns.

A recent survey found that the capital city- Agartala is uniquely positioned to render massive physical damage to the residents in any natural calamities like earthquakes above 6.5 magnitudes on the Richter scale occurs.

NBC mainly contains administrative provisions, development control rules and general building requirements, stipulations regarding building materials, structural design and construction, plumbing services, landscaping, signage and outdoor displaying structures, etc.

Though, the state government has already identified 2,000 vulnerable buildings including Ujjayanta Palace, abode of former princely rulers of the state in the heart of Agartala Town, Raj Bhavan, Neer Mahal, a lake palace built by Tripura’s last king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in 1933, MBB College and a large number of school buildings, but no proper preventive measure was adopted by the state government till date.

The state administration and concerned department is maintaining to arrange mock drills to aware the people about the preventive measures to be taken at the time of any disaster, but all these insufficient trainings may go to vain as most of these buildings may completely collapse at the time of earthquake.

It was December 2008 when National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has decided to retrofit a hospital and a school building in Tripura considering a possible high intensity earthquake in Northeast. But asked the state govt to conduct a structural safety audit on existing constructions in the state before go for retrofitting he old buildings.

Except Ujjyanta Palace and Neermahal, Tripura government could not do the safety audit. Instead in the name of retrofitting the complete historical structure of Maharani Tulshibati School, U K Academy and MBB College so far has been demolished.

Endless list of futile exercises by different Govt Departments under the poor leadership of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar keeps growing in Tripura.

The state government introduced Geographic Information System (GIS) to study environment and mapping the state’s residential status while a separate regulation has enacted for building and construction in thickly populated areas and the permission of multi-storied structure has already been canceled. But all GIS are now malfunctioned due to apathy of authorities .

The Dauki Fault which follows the international border of India and Bangladesh in Meghalaya passes though northern sections of Tripura. The other major threat is from the Madhupur Fault in Bangladesh. However, it must be stated that proximity to faults does not necessarily translate into a higher hazard as compared to areas located further away, as damage from earthquakes depends on numerous factors such as subsurface geology as well as adherence to the building codes.

The new code will provide detailed guidelines on construction management and come up with a comprehensive regulation and certification of structural safety of buildings with a series of improvements in the safety provisions to meet the challenges associated with the new trend of high rise buildings, including super tall structures and mixed use developments such as malls, multiplexes and integrated townships.

The new code will also give an overall direction for practical application of the provisions of different specialised aspects of spatial planning, design and construction of buildings, creation of services, proposing an integrated approach for utilising appropriate knowledge and experience of qualified professionals, right from conceptualization through construction and completion stages of a building project and during the entire life cycle.

The code complements the government's ambitious mission "Housing for All" that has a special focus on low cost affordable housing. The new code has detailed provisions for pre-fabricated construction for speedier construction with quality, to meet acute housing shortage. Further, to check project delays, the code focuses on streamlining procedures for real estate projects (SAPREP) through the single window concept.

It incorporates the suggestions mooted by the SAPREP panel constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, as part of Model Building Bylaws. The revised code has also renewed focus on integrated approach to get maximum benefit from the building and its services in terms of timely completion and cost- effectiveness with quality.

In line with the Modi government's mission "Accessible India, Empowered India", together with the "National Policy for Persons with Disabilities" and the "UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities", the code has for the first time made elaborate provisions for making buildings and public places accessible to millions of disabled and elderly persons. The code for barrier-free built environment will be applicable to all forms of public housing by government and private builders.

In view of the growing popularity of green/sustainable buildings, the new code promotes ecologically appropriate practices, use of eco-friendly construction materials and conventional and alternative technologies, reduction of pollution, protection and improvement of local environment and socio- economic considerations towards the creation of sustainable human settlements.

With a view to boosting sustainability, the building code has for the first time included provisions for glazing in buildings with respect to their effect on energy, visual (light) in the building and selection and manifestation of glass with respect to safety. It will also focus on energy conservation, use of solar energy and efficient lighting.

Keeping pace with the era of smart homes and smart cities, NBC 2016 has come up with a new chapter on "Information and Communication Enabled Installations" with general guidelines for planning and providing information and communication technology (ICT) services in the building and execution stages. Also, in view of the growing significance of property management, for the first time, a new chapter on "Asset Facility Management" has been added. The other new additions include Escalation and Moving Walks and solid waste management.

The building code, first formulated in 1970, and subsequently revised in 1983 and 2005, is implemented through municipal corporations, local urban bodies, public works departments and other construction departments and agencies. The new code, a revised version of the one released in 2005, will turn out to be a game changer in regulating building construction in line with the contemporary new trends and advancements in construction, together with new age reforms in the real estate and construction sector.

According to US based GSHAP data, the states of Mizoram & Tripura fall in a region of high to very high hazard. As per the 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) map, both states fall in Zone V. 

The Geologists considered that Tripura has high probability of earthquake because sedimentary rock underneath and most area are under 1st order topography of marine origin.