Residents of Gurugram’s Chintels Paradiso housing complex, where five unsafe towers are to be razed, have demanded that the developer increase the per square foot (psf) rate of the earlier buyback offer, and also offer the option of reconstruction of flats along with payment of rent.
A portion of tower D had collapsed in February 2022, killing two women. Thereafter, a team from IIT Delhi had declared five towers of the society — D, E, F, G, H — unsafe.
At present, residents do not have a rehabilitation offer on hand as both the offers — for reconstruction and buyback — have been withdrawn by the builder. The developer, Chintels India Limited, had last year offered to buy back flats from the residents of unsafe towers at Rs 6,500 psf, but later withdrew it. Residents say that prices have appreciated in the last one year in Gurugram’s sector 109, that’s located along the Dwarka expressway, and the builder should provide a buyback offer per the market rate.
According to people privy to the development, the residents had convened a meeting with the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of the housing complex on December 10, and raised these demands.
“The previous buyback offer is almost a year old, and property rates, as well as circle rates, have increased since. So the developer should increase the compensation amount of Rs 6,500 psf and bring it on par with market rates. We also want the developer to pay rent to those owners who opt for reconstruction of flats as they have to wait three years for their apartments,” a resident of the society who attended the meeting told Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity.
Residents have also demanded that the developer should sign a safety guarantee bond with the occupants of safe towers (A, B, C, J) before the demolition of unsafe towers, wherein the builder would be responsible for any damage to the safe towers during the course of the demolition.
Another owner of a flat in tower D said that they want to cooperate in the reconstruction of flats, but the developer should share detailed plans for the same.
“Along with reconstruction, the plan for the demolition of unsafe towers and other timelines should be shared with residents. The developer should also sign a safety guarantee bond with the residents of the safe towers and should be held responsible for any damage,” the resident, who wished not to be named, said.
Also Read: Balcony collapse in Gurugram's Chintels Paradiso Housing Complex raises safety concerns again
Lalit Kapoor, who also owns a flat in tower D, echoed similar concerns and demanded that rent should be paid to owners opting for reconstruction, and that flats should be of the same size. The size of the common areas should also not be reduced.
The developer has not responded to queries sent by Moneycontrol.
The offer
Chintels India Private Limited had offered two options to the residents of towers D, E, and F.
One was that the builder would pay an all-inclusive price of Rs 6,500 psf (super built-up area). In addition, it would also refund the stamp duty paid by flat owners.
Also Read: Will Chintels Paradiso housing complex be demolished the same way as Noida’s Supertech twin towers?
The other was that the builder would get the property repaired or re-built by some reputed contractor, per the technical specifications recommended by CSIR-CBRI, and hand over possession within 36 months from the date of receipt of all necessary approvals, and removal of any hurdles in going ahead with the construction.
The builder had added that in case any tower needs to be re-built, each flat owner who opts for this offer would receive a flat of the same size and layout as the flat owned by them at present, but they would have to pay an extra Rs 1,000 psf (based on the super built-up area) as there has been an “exponential increase” in the prices of building materials and labour.
The reconstruction offer was withdrawn in July 2023, and the buyback option was withdrawn in November 2023.
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