Miscellaneous
KMC to inspect houses to enforce building code
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started monitoring of buildings in 32 wards of the metropolis in a bid to effectively enforce the building code laid down by the government.The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started monitoring of buildings in 32 wards of the metropolis in a bid to effectively enforce the building code laid down by the government.
According to the metropolis, 26 engineers have already been mobilised to check if houses have been built flouting the building permit and building code.
The move follows an increasing trend among many of not following the building code. KMC officials said the engineers will visit the buildings that have been recently constructed will inspect whether there were built in line with the building code and permit. “Earlier, we used to send engineers only after receiving complaints,” said Ram Thapa, chief of the KMC Building Division. “Now, we are deploying engineers to inspect all the newly constructed houses.”
According to the KMC, around 3,000 new houses crop up in the metropolis every year and of them, 80 percent breach the building permits. House owners have been found to have changed the design approved by the KMC and added additional floors for which they were not given the permission, said a KMC official. “Floors cannot be added without taking permission from the KMC,” said Ishwor Poudel, chief and executive officer of the KMC.
According to records maintained by the KMC, 95 percent houses in the inner city areas, from wards 17-28, have added floors without taking permission from the metropolis.