Sukesh C. Khajuria write to PM on incorporating earthquake-resistant housing and infrastructure in India in public interest
Sukesh C. Khajuria write to PM on incorporating earthquake-resistant housing and infrastructure in India in public interest
Jammu, Feb 15
Senior social & health activist Sukesh C. Khajuria who has been raising various public interest issues for the past nearly four decades has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to draw his attention towards the urgent national need for strengthening earthquake resistant building infrastructure in the country taking a cue from the advanced, time-tested, and effective practices followed by Japan.
He wrote that India is geographically vulnerable to earthquakes, especially across the Himalayan belt, North-Eastern states, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir, all of which lie in active seismic zones. He further stated that While India has established building codes such as IS 1893 and IS 13920, their enforcement on the ground often remains inconsistent, particularly in private construction and local infrastructure development.
He commended the Prime Minister for integrating state-of-the-art, earthquake-resistant design features into the new Parliament building and the Prime Minister’s Office complex—Seva Teerth and Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi—showcasing India’s advanced engineering capabilities and commitment to resilient infrastructure. However, he expressed concern that such high standards are not being implemented uniformly across the country. In particular, several seismic-prone Himalayan states continue to witness unsafe and non-compliant construction practices, placing millions of lives at serious risk.
“Your flagship initiative, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY – Urban and Rural), is a visionary step towards providing all-weather pacca houses to every eligible Indian citizens. The scheme rightly emphasizes earthquake-resistant design, green construction techniques, renewable energy solutions such as solar systems, and safety from environmental and radiation-related risks. Effective and uniform implementation of these objectives across all regions—especially high-risk seismic zones—can transform PMAY into a global model for resilient and sustainable housing,” he said.
Sukesh C.Khajuria said that as per geological assessments and expert predictions, a major earthquake is inevitable in the coming years and could prove devastating if preparedness is lacking as history has shown that earthquakes themselves do not claim lives—unsafe buildings do. He emphasised that there is, therefore, an urgent need not only to strictly enforce earthquake-resistant construction norms for new buildings but also to retrofit and strengthen existing structures using modern engineering techniques.
Giving the example of Japan, Sukesh C.Khajuria said that despite facing frequent high-magnitude earthquakes, that country has significantly minimized loss of life and infrastructure damage through strict enforcement of seismic codes, base isolation systems, shock absorbers, flexible structural designs, periodic safety audits, and mandatory retrofitting of older building gs. Equally important is Japan’s emphasis on public awareness, education, and disaster preparedness, which ensures resilience rather than mere post-disaster recovery, he added.
Pointing towards the Bhuj Earthquake of 2001 which claimed 20,000 lives, he said that devastation of buildings was the major reason for the catastrophe and the tragedy exposed serious gaps in earthquake-resistant construction, urban planning, and enforcement of building norms. The post-Bhuj reconstruction efforts later showed that safer, earthquake-resistant housing is both technically feasible and economically viable. The lessons from Bhuj must not fade with time; instead, they should guide national policy to ensure that such a catastrophe is never repeated elsewhere in the country.
Veteran activist submitted that strengthening seismic safety is intrinsically linked to Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the Right to Life with Dignity as safe housing and resilient infrastructure are essential components of this fundamental right, particularly for citizens living in high-risk zones.
He suggested that India could benefit immensely by adopting and localizing global best practices, especially from countries like Japan which include stricter enforcement of earthquake-resistant construction norms, mandatory seismic audits and retrofitting of existing buildings, deeper integration of PMAY objectives with seismic safety standards, collaboration with Japan and other advanced nations for technology transfer and expertise, capacity building for engineers, architects, and local authorities and nationwide public awareness and earthquake preparedness programs.
He hoped that Prime Minister who through visionary leadership has already transformed India’s infrastructure, housing, and governance landscape, with his focused attention on seismic resilience, India can safeguard millions of lives, uphold constitutional values, and ensure sustainable, future- ready urban and rural development.
