|
Probe on collapsed Dar building a waste of time
2008-06-23 10:50:26
By Editor
The collapse of a 10-storey building in Dar es Salaam is yet another testimony on how the culture of impunity has entrenched itself in the government bureaucracy, such that a structure of that size located in the city centre went on being built under the noses of qualified building inspectors.
The fact that the building began sinking and gave all signs of imminent collapse-allowing TV camera crew and reporters to rush to the scene-clearly indicates that the rigid laws of the land, especially in regard to construction, are usually applied to low cost construction works, but the engineers are almost certain to become blind to the existence of flawed construction of a ten-storey building in the central business district of the capital city.
More interestingly, these inspectors are apt to note-in fact, sense-very quickly, that a food kiosk located in Dar es Salaam stands in violation of building regulations and should therefore be demolished, and demolished it will.
We have seen the zeal of city authorities in enforcing such rules and those related with the master plan. Day in day out, we see them flattening simple structures here and there, and city askaris enforcing the evictions in the name of the law, chasing and clubbing the machinga.
The Tabata Dampo case is a case in example, whereby tens of families were left homeless after bulldozers laid their homes flat in questionable circumstances.
Had the city fathers also acted in similar haste to prevent the tragedy of the building that tumbled in Dar on Sunday at initial stage, then we would all have known that they are serious with their work.
But this particular case, as well as others, proves that they are working very discriminatively, and there is a certain section of people whom they dare not touch.
Much as the authorities have announced, as usual with such incidents, that they are forming a probe commission, we are tempted to believe that there was no need to form a commission, but only for the various levels of administration of government to track down whether the building was ever inspected, and if not, why.
If it was indeed inspected, because the city council has got several civil engineers, and these must have inspected the structure at certain intervals and certified the work in progress, then they have to be made answerable.
It is very dangerous for this country for normal government bureaucracy to be replaced with money-spending probe committees, which after their findings are presented, leave whatever they recommended unimplemented.
The episode also reminds us of another stranger-than-fiction saga that occurred in Dar es Salaam on March 17, 2006 when a four-storey hotel under construction, which was already accommodating 25 people, collapsed.
A person died and several injured were taken to hospital.
The prime minister rushed to the scene of accident, where he interrogated the city engineer.
The engineer informed the PM that the owner of the hotel had applied for a building permit but went on building without securing the permit.
When the PM asked the engineer as to why four floors were constructed without the knowledge of city engineers, the engineer said nothing.
Eventually, seven people, including the acting city engineer and hotel owner, were charged in court for manslaughter, and a probe team was also formed.
To put all in a nutshell, people got away scot free, and that is why we have serious doubts as to whether the just-announced probe team is the proper answer to such cases.
The owner of the building that collapsed on Sunday is known, the contractor also, and the building inspectors. So why the dilly-dallying? Should we spend money just to come back to the same people?
|
