The George constructing collapse tragedy leaves extra questions than solutions. Questions round shoddy workmanship, high quality of the supplies used and whether or not due diligence was adopted. Additionally, on what grounds had the structural engineer given the go-ahead? Did the constructing inspector log off each flooring as and when it was accomplished to be able to transfer on to the following stage?
For a lot of the week officers mentioned the variety of employees on web site have been 75 solely to search out out – a couple of days into the search – that six extra individuals have been unaccounted for, bringing the whole variety of individuals to 81. Forty of these employees have been pulled from the rubble after the under-construction constructing caved in. Twelve of those that made it out alive have died. Forty-one building employees nonetheless stay unaccounted for.
Regarding is the obvious improper record-keeping in the course of the building section. In some situations, employees have been solely registered by their first names or nicknames. Lots of the employees are additionally international nationals which raises the query round whether or not they have been legally entitled to work within the nation.
Who ought to take accountability? The developer, the contractor or subcontractor, as little or no vetting is finished by the contractor as to who works for the subcontractors. Maybe that is one thing the constructing trade as an entire must begin to regulate.
And what’s extra surprising is the eerie silence by the authorities. We have now heard little from Liatel Developments, the contractors, with it solely saying it was dedicated to co-operating with authorities to find out the reason for the incident. Additional, all we all know is the developer is NT Neotrend Group and the title of the event, Ice Initiatives.
It has been almost every week because the fateful incident and we are not any nearer to discovering out what occurred. 5 days into the search the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements in Parliament referred to as for the Nationwide House Builders Registration Council to research. Premier Alan Winde mentioned unbiased structural engineer, Casper Hutten, had began investigating the reason for the collapse. He may, nevertheless, not say how lengthy the investigation would take.
These probes or inquiries infamously take months if not years to finish. That’s little solace for the households who’ve misplaced family members or for the employees whose lives irrevocably modified after 2pm on Monday, Might 6, 2024.
Weekend Argus
