Demolition order of Tower D in Chintels Paradiso issued

Nine months after a portion of the sixth floor in Tower D of Chintels Paradiso society in Gurugram’s Sector 109 collapsed all the way down to the first floor killing two, the District Disaster Management Authority on November 9 issued the order to demolish the tower and directed the builder to initiate the process at the earliest.

The order issued by DDMA Gurugram chairman Nishant Kumar Yadav also directed the builder to settle the dues or liabilities of allottees or the flat owners of Tower D of the housing complex within 60 days.

Tower D of Chintels Paradiso is an 18-storey building with 50 flats.
In February, a portion of a sixth-floor apartment in the tower collapsed, killing two women and injuring many others. Following the incident, a probe was ordered and a team of experts from IIT-Delhi was asked to conduct a structural audit, a draft report of which was submitted to the deputy commissioner in early November, and the final report on Tuesday.

It found structural deficiencies in the construction of the tower and it was also clarified in the report that repairing or retrofitting the tower is not possible on technical and economic grounds.

The demolition order was issued on the recommendations of the committee formed to probe the incident.

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“After perusal of the report, it is evident that the structure of Tower-D is not safe for habitation and due to high chloride content in the concrete throughout the structure, the structure is also not technically and economically feasible for any kind of repair. Now therefore, District Disaster Management Authority, Gurugram, do hereby order M/s Chintels India Pvt. Ltd to close Tower-D permanently and start the process for demolition of Tower-D immediately,” the DDMA order stated.

Representatives of both Chintels India and Manish Switchgear and Construction (the contractor undertaking repairs at the tower) failed to regulate and monitor the retrofitting works which led to the collapse of the slab and ensuing damage to the lower floors, the report noted.

The order, however, did not set a deadline for the demolition of the tower. Gurugram DDMA’s Yadav also said, “No deadline has been set as such (for the demolition).”

Gurugram District Town Planner (Enforcement) has been appointed as the nodal officer to oversee the entire process of demolition with the assistance of the police, the order said.

The demolition order also noted that there was sagging in one of the balconies in Tower F and other signs of distress in the floors of various other flats in Tower E and F.

“It has been recommended that the Tower-E & F should also be vacated immediately for the safety of the residents,” the DDMA order said.

Currently, 28 families from Tower D are living on rent in the same complex. The developer is paying these owners Rs 25,000 a month towards rental expenses for a 3 BHK flat, and Rs 37,000 for a 4 BHK unit.

The final report, released along with the demolition order by the administration, mentioned that wrong methodology was adopted for repair work which was the immediate cause of the collapse.

The report said that corroded steel used as reinforcement had been painted from the top to hide the corrosion. The methodology of repair was also not as per the requisite standard, it said.

Regarding the resettlement of families who were residing in Tower D, the committee has said that all claims of all the allottees should swiftly be settled. The committee had also empanelled two independent evaluators to ascertain the market value of flats.

“The committee recommends that the developer should settle the claims with residents as mutually agreed upon in a time-bound manner and provide an undertaking in this regard. The value offered by the developer to flat owners of Tower-D should not be less than the evaluation done by valuation agencies,” the report observed.

Residents said that they were yet to examine the order and the report of the committee.

Many, however, said they are ready for the settlement provided they are “compensated well”.

Chintels Paradiso RWA president Rakesh Hooda said the developer should either give them the replacement cost according to the current price in the area or provide new flats to residents at the same site after demolition and reconstruction.

“In the meantime, they should provide us with temporary accommodation of the same standard,” Hooda said.