Special Issues

Part 6

v     Structural Audit

(i)  Provision in Bye-Laws

    As per Bye-law 77, the Society shall cause the ‘Structural Audit’ of the building of the Society as follows:

(a)    For the building aging between 15 to 30 years --- Once in 5 years.

(b)    For the building aging above 30 years --- Once in 3 years.

Such ‘Structural Audit’ shall be conducted by the Architects from the panel of Municipal Corporation in case of the societies, which are within the limit of the Municipal Corporations. In case of the other societies, such Structural Audit shall be carried out by the Government Approved Architect.

(ii)  Meaning & Purpose of Structural Audit

Structural Audit means checking up the Building of the society from the point of view of structural safety. The structure of the building can be compared with a human body. The Executive Medical Check up of the Body is well known to one and all. On similar lines, the health of the building where we stay and which is our ‘Sweet Home’ also needs to be periodically checked to assess the soundness and strength of the building.

Timely repairs and maintenance of the building of the society are essential ‘STRUCTURAL SAFETY’ first should be the motto.

(iii)  Meaning of Audit

The audit shall mean detailed inspection of the entire building of the society externally as well as internally. There are number of factors which will need consideration. The key factors are as under:

(a)    Quality of the original construction

(b)    Status of Regular Routine Maintenance of the Building

(c)    Additions and alterations carried out in the Building

(d)   Overloading the Building

(e)    Major repairs carried out, if any, and its present status

(f)     Leakages

v     Penalties for breaches of the Bye-laws of the Society

As per Bye-law No. 166 the meeting of the general body of the society may prescribe penalties for breaches of the Bye-laws of the society. The Secretary of the society under instructions from the Committee shall bring to the notice of the member concerned, the breach/breaches of the Bye-law/Bye-laws committed by him. If the member persists in continuing the breach/breaches, the Committee shall give the notice to the member to show cause as to why the penalty should not be inflicted on him for breach/breaches of the bye-law/Bye-laws. The general body meeting, after ordering the stay of the member and after giving him hearing, may levy penalty at the rate fixed by the meeting of the general body of the society.