Failure to Follow Building Code Yields Tragic Results

Once again a building has collapsed because the building code was ignored. 65 people were killed when a building collapsed in East Delhi, India. http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/11/16/qa-how-safe-are-buildings-in-indian-cities/ India has a national building code but it is up to the local jurisdictions to implement it according to Virendra Kumar Paul, head of the department of building engineering and management at Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture.  In an interview with the Wall Street Journal he says that there is a lack of concern among authorities, building owners, engineers and management.  Some buildings are constructed without a building permit or without any regard for the building codes.  When I teach Legal Aspects of Code Administration, I discuss the cycle of complacency and outrage.  Human beings throughout history have reacted strongly to large tragedies, adopting stronger codes, stepping up enforcement, etc.  However, complacency sets in and the codes are ignored or weakened in the interest of expediency until the next tragedy.  Then, the cycle continues until another building collapses.