PORT HARCOURT – Worried over the incessant building collapse in the State and the danger it poses to the lives of the people, the Rivers State Government has resolved to set up a Taskforce to check the menace.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi, during an on-the-spot inspection of another collapsed 3-storey building under construction in the Abacha Road axis of GRA Port-Harcourt.
The collapse the 3-storey building comes barely four days after a similar incident occurred in Ogbogoro Community of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area which claimed one life and severely injured two persons.
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Although no life was lost to the latest building collapse, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, has emphasised that the Taskforce would monitor all development sites in the State to ensure that developers strictly comply with the building laws and regulations of the State to prevent further building collapse.
The Commissioner in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Emeka Idika Kalu on Friday, accused the developer of the collapsed 3-storey building of gross violation of government-approved building plan by using substandard materials to raise a structure in a waterlogged area.
He warned of tougher penalties against defaulters of the Physical Planning Development Law of the State to serve as deterrent.
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Bipi, explained that by enforcing severe penalties, the government aims to promote adherence to the law and prevent further building collapse in the State.
On his part, the Commissioner for Special Duties Dr. Samuel Anya who accompanied the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development on the inspection of the collapsed building on Abacha Road said the State Government may be considering enacting a legal framework that would proffer imprisonment for defaulting Engineers with an option of heavy fine.
He said this would deter both the Engineers and developers from cutting corners or using substandard materials and endangering the lives of innocent construction workers.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Surv. Wisdom Hebron, said the recurring issue of developers cutting costs and using substandard materials which is responsible for the spate of building collapse in the State is worrisome.
He pointed out that obvious structural defects as a result of failure by the developer to comply with the government-approved building plan largely contributed to the collapse of the 3-storey building.
In the meantime, officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development have sealed the premises of the 3-storey building along the Abacha Road axis of GRA Port-Harcourt and invited the property developer and Engineer for investigation.
