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CASE STUDIES

20.057 per thousand in 1900 Commission decided that the other experts. The first version
to 14.11 per thousand in 1912 . whole gamut of operations was published in 1970. This
1
In India too, the All India involved in construction, was revised in 1983 and a
Sanitary Conference was such as administrative, substantial revision was made
held in 1914, which set out organisational, financial and in 2005. The current version is
to highlight the ‘main evils technical aspects should be the National Building Code
resulting from certain defects studied in depth. In 1965, of 2016 , consists of 13 parts
4
in the Bombay City Municipal a panel of experts were numbered from Part 0 to Part
Act and the Byelaws, there appointed and a ‘Report on 12. These parts are composed
under. It was suggested in the Economies in Construction in two voluminous books.
conference that changes be Cost’ was published in
made for improving health by 1968 . This report revealed The Foreword of the current
3
increasing light, ventilation, that some of the prevailing National Building Code, 2016
appropriate open spaces, methods of construction were states that:
2
among other suggestions . outmoded, some designs were The Code contains
This highlights the importance burdened with safety factors regulations which can be
of byelaws as a public health and municipal building immediately adopted or
measure for urban areas, and byelaws at some places were enacted for use by various
the deliberations made on it out dated. This resulted departments, municipal
from more than a century. in the recommendation administrations and public
that a ‘National Building bodies. The provisions of
HISTORY OF THE Code’ be prepared to unify this Code are intended
NATIONAL BUILDING the building regulations to serve as a model for
CODE throughout the country. The adoption by local bodies,
In India, the states and work was entrusted to the Public Works Departments
the municipalities are Indian Standards institute and other government
empowered to make byelaws which is now called the construction departments,
for controlling the built Bureau of Indian Standards. and other construction
environment in the limits The Bureau of Indian agencies. Existing PWD
of the city. This meant that Standards set up a guiding codes, municipal byelaws
throughout India, across committee, for preparation and other regulatory media
municipalities and states there of the National Building could either be replaced by
were different bye laws that Code with representatives the National Building Code
were in force. This fact was from construction agencies, of India or suitably modified
observed after the third Five research institutions, to cater to local requirements
Year Plan when the Planning municipal corporations and in accordance with the
provisions of the Code.
1 Russell Lopez, Building American Public Health: Urban Planning, Architecture, and
the Quest for Better Health in the United States, Building American Public Health: This clearly means that the
Urban Planning, Architecture, and the Quest for Better Health in the United National Building Code, 2016
States (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137002440. is a non-binding, advisory or
2 Proceedings of the Third All-India Sanitary Conference Held at Lucknow, January
19th to 27th 1914 (Thacker, Spink & Co., 1914), https://wellcomecollection.org/ a recommendatory document
works/bha99znp/items?canvas=6. which has to be adopted in
3 ‘Report on Economies in Construction Costs’ (Planning Commission, 1968), part or as a whole by the local
https://indianculture.gov.in/report-economies-construction-costs. bodies for it to be actually
4 ‘Report on Economies in Construction Costs’ (Planning Commission, 1968),
https://indianculture.gov.in/report-economies-construction-costs. followed in the jurisdiction of

October, 2022, Volume 23. No.2 - SHELTER 83