Chintels Paradiso case: Safety audit report of four towers yet to be released; administration tries to allay residents' concerns

Rakesh Hooda, president of Resident Welfare Association (RWA) Chintels Paradiso, said the structural safety audit of these towers was conducted between December 2022 and January 2023 but reports are yet to be released.

“Residents are living under constant threat to their lives in these towers. We believe that the condition of these towers (A, B, G and H) is also not very good. Safety audits have been completed and then there should be no delay in releasing these reports,” Hooda said.

Another resident of the society said that nearly 200 families are living in these towers of the society although the audit reports of these towers are yet to come.

“The government wants the residents of towers E and F to vacate their flats but they are not worried about the other 200 families in the remaining towers. Why are the reports not coming out? The administration should take this on priority and release the reports,” a resident of the society, who wished not to be named, said.

In the meeting with residents, ADC Meena was told by department officials that the report of two towers is pending and the rest are with the DC office.

According to administration officials, the reports of at least two towers of the society have been submitted to the Gurugram deputy commissioner office and these reports are under review to analyse whether the structures are fit for habitation.

An administrative official told Moneycontrol that the audit report will soon be released. Directions have also been issued to submit the audit reports of two other towers, C and J, within a month, he said.

There was no immediate response from the DC office or the builder.

Following recommendations of IIT-Delhi, the administration has declared towers D, E and F of the society unfit for living and asked residents to vacate these towers. The settlement process for the occupants of these towers is underway.

In April 2023, the developer offered to either pay an all-inclusive price of Rs 6,500 per square foot (PSF) on the super built-up area, plus the stamp duty paid by the flat owners. Or, it would get the property repaired or re-built by some reputed contractor per the technical requirements of CSIR-CBRI, and hand over possession within 36 months from the date of receipt of all necessary approvals. However, residents opting for the latter would have to pay Rs 1,000 PSF as construction costs have increased.