Gurugram tower collapse: Residents of Chintels Paradiso demand re-evaluation of their flats or reconstruction of new homes at same location

Claiming “improper evaluation” of their flats by assessors engaged by the administration, residents of Chintels Paradiso society in Sector 109 of Gurugram, outside Delhi, have demanded a re-assessment of their properties at contemporary rates along with inclusion of extra charges paid by them such as registry, extra development costs (EDC), etc, in the total flat valuation.

In February, ceilings of several flats in one of the towers in the complex collapsed, killing two. The authorities, after structural audits, have recommended the demolition of the tower in question and the evacuation of neighbouring towers.

Owners of affected apartments also demanded that flats be reconstructed at the same site. The residents earlier this week moved the Supreme Court to get their issues addressed and the apex court is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday.

Residents also claim that there has been no move from the developer so far to settle their dues.

After the collapse of a portion of a sixth-floor apartment in Tower D, 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 November 8.

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Following the recommendations of the report, Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav had on November 9 issued a demolition order for Tower D and had also directed the developer to settle the dues or liabilities of allottees or flat owners of the tower within 60 days from the date of issuance of the demolition order.

However, no deadline has been set for the demolition of the tower.
The district administration had clarified that if the owners and the builder are unable to reach an agreement, the report submitted by two independent assessors engaged for the purpose should be considered. The assessors have already submitted the valuation report of the flats in Tower D.

Chintels Paradiso residents’ welfare association president Rakesh Hooda said the flat owners will not accept older or lower prices for their property. Residents should be “compensated well” so that they can buy a unit of similar value or the developer should reconstruct their flats at the same site.

“We reject the evaluation report of the administration as it reflects improper evaluation of our flats. The assessors have done the valuation of our properties taking older rates which is half the contemporary prices of our units. The current rate ranges between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 psf (per square feet) while they (the administration) are giving us Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,500 psf which is unacceptable,” Hooda told Moneycontrol.

He claimed that the evaluation report did not include several additional charges paid by flat owners such as stamp duty, charge for electricity supply, parking, infrastructure development charges and EDC, among others.

“Our demand is simple: either the developer should reconstruct our flats at the same land by demolishing the existing structure or we should be given the replacement cost in accordance with the current price in the area,” Hooda said.

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the residents’ plea challenging the administration’s valuation, and also seeking reconstruction of flats in a time-bound manner and granting of alternative accommodation with rental compensation.

Sumit, another resident of the housing complex who goes by his first name, who used to live in Tower D, said that all affected parties should be given adequate compensation and their problems should be taken care of by the administration and the developer.

“Either we get a replacement of our flat in the same society or we get the right compensation. The market scenario has changed a lot since we moved here and the pricing of flats in the region has changed substantially so we need to be compensated accordingly,” Sumit 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 rent for a 3BHK flat, and Rs 37,000 for a 4BHK unit. Tower D of Chintels Paradiso is an 18-storey building with 50 flats.