Building owners ignore the rules

High-rise office buildings for lease on Nguyen Hue Street. The most common building violations in HCM City are those that break height regulations, according to the latest report by the HCM City Construction Department.— VNA/VNS Photo Pham Do

HCM CITY — Local district authorities are not closely monitoring violations of construction regulations, according to a report from the HCM City Construction Department.

The department has carried out inspections from late 2009, focusing on building sites that began in 2008 and last year.

Building beyond the allowable height was the most common violation.

On Tran Binh and Le Tan Ke streets in District 6, houses must not exceed 18.9 metres high, but many were found to be 21 metres high, with unlicensed basements and additional floors.

"The area is located next to Binh Tay Market and in the preservation area," said Tran Huu Tri, vice chairman of the District 6 People's Committee. "All houses must be built under the same model with limited height."

The department said another common violation was the unlicensed change of building function by owers.

In Tan Binh District, 91 construction sites were inspected, and many of them were hotels or offices that had not been approved.

It noted that Tan Binh District did not discover these violations until the department began its inspection.

In District 1, nine of the 26 inspected construction sites were found in violation of the stipulations included in their licences.

In the district, the MAP Company must pay VND200 million (US$10,000) for supervisory fees to demolish five floors of a building at 20-22 Thai Van Lung Street within three months.

The five floors were built without approval, and six floors licensed by the city will remain.

In addition, District 1 authorities have told investors of a building at 24 Thai Van Lung Street that it would demolish the top seven floors of the building on Friday if the investors refused to do it. — VNS