Five unsafe towers (D, E, F, G and H) of the Chintels Paradiso housing complex in Gurugram’s Sector 109 are likely to be razed by the mechanical demolition technique in six to eight months’ time. The developer has hired Edifice Engineering, the firm that had brought down the Supertech twin towers in Noida in a controlled explosion, as consultant for the demolition of towers, people aware of the matter said.
Chintels Paradiso gained notoriety in February 2022 when a portion of the sixth floor of Tower D collapsed, resulting in the loss of two lives. Subsequently, in structural audit reports conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, five out of the nine towers in the complex were deemed "unsafe for habitation".
Among these, Towers D, E and F have been fully vacated, while Towers G and H still have some families residing despite evacuation orders.
Utkarsh Mehta of Edifice Engineering said that things have been set in motion.
“A team of demolition consultants has visited the site and after assessing the situation we are of the view that mechanical demolition technique, involving machines, should be adopted here instead of a controlled implosion method, which was used in the demolition of Noida’s Supertech twin towers. The mechanical demolition is suggested because residents are living in other four towers within the society and also, there are bungalows and other residential buildings located near the housing complex,” Mehta told Moneycontrol.
He added that the buildings are also not so tall that they cannot be razed mechanically. Towers in Chintels Paradiso have a height ranging between 15 and 18 storeys.
Supertech’s twin towers Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) were razed via the controlled implosion technique in August 2022 and were touted as the third tallest structures in the world to be so demolished.
“We will submit a detailed demolition plan describing the methodology to be opted for demolition to the developer and the district administration for approval next week,” Mehta said.
Earlier this month, a few balconies of Tower D of the Chintels Paradiso housing complex had collapsed, raising safety concerns. The tower had been closed off in November 2022 under the orders of the Gurugram deputy commissioner and is awaiting demolition.
A spokesperson of the developer Chintels India Limited said that a team from Edifice visited the site and will submit a plan soon.
“The demolition will be done in a different way than the implosion method and will last approximately six months from when it starts. This is a longer process which involves floors being demolished one at a time. This is a safer method and will be done in a very controlled and safe manner,” the spokesperson said.
The developer said that they will share the demolition plan with the administration for approval and necessary preparations will be done.
“We have already requested the administration to ensure the families in other unsafe towers who are refusing to vacate be vacated immediately for their own safety,” the spokesperson said.
Residents’ take
Rakesh Hooda, president, RWA Chintels Paradiso, said that residents were not consulted about the demolition of the structures or about the visit of the team of demolition experts.
“We want full and final financial settlement, payment of rent and submission of pending audit reports before the demolition of unsafe towers starts. The residents should also be given the option of reconstruction of flats and payment of rent in the meantime. The residents should be consulted before the demolition of their flats on the issue,” he said.
He added that they will submit a set of demands to the district administration and the department of town and country planning.
Reacting to the remarks, the developer’s spokesperson said, “We are open to discussing the other options as well with the residents.”
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