Hyderabad: Small builders big violators

Hyderabad: Cops say many builders employ stone cutters to carry out blasts at smaller sites. Officials have received a number of complaints and as a result, they have issued a fresh set of guidelines.

Officials believe most of the violators are small and independent builders. Senior police officials from the IT corridor say a lack of certified blasting agencies is forcing builders into unsafe practices. “The violation is mostly by small builders who want to finish the work as soon as possible,” an official said.

It has been found that contractors are not conducting soil or structural tests at the site.  Also, residents within 15 metres of the blast site must be alerted and that’s not being done either.

Ground vibration measurements of the nearest structure should also be carried out to check impact and maximum air blast overpressure should not exceed 120 decibels.

An authorised quantity of blasting material should be stored at the site and the blast crater diameter, size, quantity of the explosive to be uses will be decided by a specialised engineer after verifying the rock status.

The entire process should be updated and a registry must be maintained by the local police station, on a daily basis.