The civic body here has ordered 152 construction contractors and consultants to pay hefty fines for flouting set rules and regulations in the first quarter of the year.

The erring entities and professionals have turned a blind eye to the general conditions and standardisations set by the Umm Al Quwain Municipality, according to a senior official.

Mohammed Nasser Subhi, acting head of buildings section at the municipality, said his section deploys regular inspection campaigns every day from 9am to 1pm. "All construction sites and premises across Umm Al Quwain are subjected to surprise inspection as scheduled to check on work progress and compliance of set rules."

Another inspection team has been deployed to follow up the work as part of an evening shift, he added.

"When our inspectors detect any violation, a notice is immediately issued and later looked into, to decide on the fine and penalty."

Most of the violations registered span in compliance with the set standardisations and approved engineering plans by the municipality, Subhi explained.

"Some of the contractors failed to rectify the violations reported, and do not authenticate the subcontracts as instructed by the civic body here." They might even start the maintenance works or add minor changes without referring to the body concerned for prior approval, he disclosed. "Some contractors failed to have the engineer concerned present during the pouring of concrete in any constructional part of the building while others ignored general safety rules at construction sites or failed to check the validity of the concrete before being used."

Of the serious violations recently spotted were five critical defaults in buildings under construction in a single day. "On top of these were poor quality materials and failure to abide by the set technical standards that the concrete used, for example, cannot sustain any further pressure from additional floors." Large parts of the plaster used in some buildings easily fell down when examined with a sharp tool, he explained. "Some walls were so weak that they collapse with a slight push while the cement and other concrete contents used were manipulated and proved below level."

Source: Khaleej Times