Gurugram: Audit to check structural flaws in 15 highrise societies in second phase

Ritu Srivastava

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav ordered structural evaluations of 15 housing developments in the city as part of the second phase of an exercise that was carried out following the vertical collapse of apartments in Chintels Paradiso last year. The 60 projects whose inhabitants and RWAs have complained about poor construction and structural flaws during the previous two years will be used to choose the societies.

The majority of buildings, including those constructed by well-known real estate companies, are found along the Dwarka Expressway and the Southern Peripheral Road.

The district town planner has been asked to conduct a preliminary visual survey of all 60 societies to identify the 15 most crucial ones where structural audits should be completed as soon as possible, according to Yadav, keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation and the greater public interest. An on-site inspection of the structures will be part of the procedure to look for any obvious flaws as well as indicators of degradation and damage to the slabs, columns, and beams.

After a sixth-story apartment at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 collapsed on 10 February and caused a vertical fall of floors up to the first level, the first phase of the audit—which also involved 15 societies—was ordered in August 2022. The building's structural flaws were later held responsible for the cave-in that claimed the lives of two ladies. The audits were conducted in September by four organisations, Bureau Vertias, TPC Technical Projects Consultants, Vintech Consultants, and NNC Design International. The agencies were chosen by the district administration, and their reports highlighted a number of shortcomings. The most significant of these included plaster peeling, steel corrosion, and basement flooding and seepage. However, the authorities determined that the problems were "repairable".

Societies like Mapsko Casabella in Sector 82, Park Place in DLF-5, and Paras Irene in Sector 70A were among those included in the first phase.

After choosing a new group of 15 societies, DTP Manish Yadav will write to the RWAs and request that they hire the agencies that the district administration has appointed to do the audits, or a consultant of their choosing.

The RWA/residents and the developer will each be required to contribute equally to the cost of the audits. The deputy commissioner stated that the developer would be responsible for covering the entire expense if the RWA's complaint regarding the deficiency was determined to be true.

The auditing procedure will resemble the first stage.

Since the enforcement division of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) is understaffed, the government also intends to include representatives from the planning division and the PWD. This, according to officials, will guarantee that the exercise is finished within a specific time range.