Chinese authorities today said the construction of world's tallest building in central China will go ahead only after ensuring all safety procedures, indicating that the ambitious project has not been shelved.
"Examination of construction plans for the "Sky City" basic structure and its fire-fighting facilities, and application for official licenses are under way as required," the state-run news agency Xinhua quoted the management committee of Wancheng District of Changsha in Hunan province as saying.
Earlier, reports had said the plans to build the structure had been cancelled as a new ban on construction of all government buildings for the next five years came into effect following the economic slowdown.
Also, construction on the proposed 838-meter tall building was stopped soon after the ground-breaking ceremony on July 20 due to concerns over the project's safety, environmental issues and construction speed.
The critics of the building, which aims to go past Dubai's Burj Khalifa by 10 meters, have been assured that no substantial construction will be allowed till all relevant legal procedures have been complied with.
"No substantial construction will be launched before the project obtains legal licenses," the report quoted the committee's statement as saying.
"Nine domestic construction experts have carried out a series of examinations on the project, including its structure and quake resistance," it added.
According to the project's builder, Broad Sustainable Building Technology Co. Ltd, the massive structure will take just seven months to complete.
The building, which is made of steel, will be able to accommodate 30,000 people with school, hotel, hospital, apartment and office facilities and an 8,000-square-meter garden once completed.
Zhang Yue, president of Broad Group, said he hoped people would devote attention to the project's advantages in saving energy and land rather than its height, the Xinhua report said.
