Chintels Paradiso residents claim developer wants second audit of tower D

Representational image.

Residents of Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 of Gurugram said the developer wants a second structural safety audit of tower D, a part of which collapsed in February, to be conducted by a “more credible” agency before it is demolished.

Preliminary discussions have been held with the Central Building Research Institute and Engineers India Ltd. for another structural audit to get a second opinion, the developer said in a letter to the residents welfare association of Chintels Paradiso Society.

The developer said that based on the advice of several qualified people, it is of the view that “all the affected towers of Chintels Paradiso are repairable” because there are various technologies and methods being used to restore old buildings and resolve similar problems.

“We believe it will be foolhardy to rush and destroy a beautiful project, simply on the basis of an unsubstantiated report of any organisation, without exploring any other possible alternatives,” Chintels India said in the letter.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav ordered the demolition of the 18-story tower D about three weeks ago based on a structural safety audit report prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology. The district administration asked the builder to initiate the process but did not set a deadline for the demolition.

Responding to Moneycontrol's query, Chintels India Private Limited said that they want a second audit of the tower and will also comply with administrations directions.

"We wrote to the residents and mentioned that a second opinion is in everyone’s interest as demolition should be done only if it is the only option to ensure safety of the residents. We are talking to CBRI to conduct a second audit. However, we will comply with all instructions given by the administration," the developer said in a statement on December 2.

The developer alleged, “there has been no response” to its repeated requests to the Department of Town and Country Planning for copies of the lab test results based on which IIT reached its conclusions and in the absence of this data, it was unable to take a decision on moving forward.

District administration officials did not respond to Moneycontrol’s queries for comment on the matter. Calls and text messages sent to the deputy commissioner did not yield any response.

“Since most of the residents of Paradiso have expressed their desire to continue to live there, we believe that in the interest of all stakeholders that a second audit be conducted by a more credible and transparent agency such as CBRI and EIL or any other competent international agency, so that the project can still be salvaged,” the developer said in its letter to the RWA.

Chintels is willing to bear the cost of repairs and whatever else it takes to ensure that the project is safe for habitation.

Also Read | Structural safety policy for residential high-rises to boost people’s confidence to buy units in such buildings

RWA’s take

However, the residents said the latest move will only delay a solution for those who have invested in apartments in the society. Rakesh Hooda, president of the Chintels Paradiso Society RWA, said the chief minister should step in to ensure justice to the residents of the society.

“We are highly disappointed with the latest development as things are now moving in a different direction. We were looking forward for an amicable solution for D tower flat owners… the CM should intervene and give directions to the administrator to effectively and responsibly work to resolve the flat owners’ concerns,” Hooda said.

He alleged the district administration was responsible for these developments because it was not sharing reports with the RWA as well.

“Why are they hiding reports pertaining to the testing and the structural safety audit of the building? The RWA has also been demanding these reports. Even after multiple reminders and follow-ups, the administration does not care about the pain people are going through,” Hooda said.

He said any meeting with Chintels India Ltd. will take place only when the owners or directors clearly state their intentions to settle the demands of the apartment owners and set the agenda for discussions with the RWA and residents accordingly.

The ceilings of several flats in tower D of Chintels Paradiso collapsed in February, killing two women. The authorities, after structural audits, recommended demolition of tower D and evacuation of neighbouring towers.

The affected owners moved the Supreme Court seeking reconstruction of their flats at the same site or “fair” compensation to buy similar accommodation in the neighbourhood.

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the builder on November 21 while hearing the plea for fair compensation and set January 6, 2023, as the date for the next hearing.