Jalpaiguri, Dec. 26: An IIT Madras team of experts has pointed out a series of lapses in various quarters that multiplied the extent of damage to buildings, roads and monasteries in Sikkim during the September earthquake.

The experts laid stress on immediate rectification of such faults in case there are fresh tremors in future.

The report said studies and research on mountains, slopes, soil and other geological factors had not been conducted in recent years by any government agency. It said traditional housings were abandoned and replaced with concrete structures and high-rises in defiance of building norms.

“The post-earthquake damage assessment was not understood by local engineers and most importantly, the state lacks adequate number of engineers and architects with requisite knowledge on earthquake resistant technology,” the report said.

The 26-page report also observed that there were no government engineering or architectural colleges in Sikkim to advise the government. “There are only two structural engineers and about 35 architects in Sikkim.”

The experts pointed out lapses on the part of the government and the civic authorities.

“In Sikkim, there are no set standard municipal by-laws for construction of buildings and no standard procedures to see that the buildings are maintained. The sewerage-cum-drainage system in towns and cities, with ruptures in the channels and pipes, affects the underground soil,” the report said.

The experts, who have also found that several roads were cut off during the landslide, said no soil data assessment was done before building the roads. Safety standards were not considered.