Earthquake–Damaged Building in Guwahati Leaves Residents Fearful

 
GUWAHATI: Residents of an apartment building in the Japorigog area of Guwahati are living in fear after the appearance of multiple cracks and visible damage to their flats following the massive earthquake on April 28. Additionally, they have received no assessment of damages and repair work from the apartment builder despite raising the issue with him several times.   
 
Gayatri Sharma, a resident of Nayan Apartment, told G Plus that there are 16 apartments in the 4-storey-building, and most of them have sustained visible cracks and other damage. "The builder was notified immediately to come and take stock of the situation. However, he did not present us with a viable repair plan after the initial damage assessment. Moreover, he has stopped receiving our calls and messages," she added.
 
The builder, Habibur Rahman, a resident of Hatigaon, has apparently demanded 50 percent of the repair bill to be jointly contributed by residents, while he foots the other 50 percent. G Plus made several attempts to reach out to Raham for a comment, but were unable to receive a response till the time of filing of this report.
 
The 6.4 magnitude earthquake of April 28, and the series of after-shakes following it, has caused minor and major damages to several buildings in the city. G Plus spoke to Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) Town Planner Debraj Kalita to explain the Authority’s role in this situation.
 
"GMDA's role is limited here. The quality agreement between the builders and apartment holders will have to be gauged in this kind of situation. Some buildings might have structural damages, which is a subject of our oversight. As far as the safety aspect of a damaged building is concerned, GMDA makes a report based on its survey, which is then forwarded to the Government and Assam Disaster Management Authority for appropriate action and intervention," Kalita said.