A Gurugram housing society has been delivered a notice saying it is unsafe to live in and residents must be vacated. Officials say they are worried about an "untoward incident" happening given the "dilapidated" condition of the building. Here's more details on the issue at hand:
Two towers — Tower E and Tower F — of Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 have been declared unsafe for residents due to its dilapidated condition. The District Town Planner (Enforcement) in Gurugram sent a notice to developer Chintels India Pvt Ltd on Tuesday asking them to vacate those two towers.
According to the notice, there is rapid and widespread corrosion of steel reinforcement almost throughout the structure. This is attributed to poor concrete quality and chlorides mixed into it at the time of its production.
These played a role in the rapid deterioration of the towers and corrosion of steel reinforcements. Residents have also complained about the frequent need for repair in the building structures.
The notice cites a report by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, which found that the high chloride content in the concrete throughout the towers made repairs for safe usage technically and economically unfeasible. The report also highlighted the threat to the life of residents due to the rapid corrosion of reinforcement because of the presence of chlorides.
The District Town Planner (Enforcement) warned that if any untoward incident happens, the builder will be held responsible. In the interest of public safety, the notice directs Chintels India Pvt Ltd to vacate the premises and flats of Tower E and F with immediate effect.
Residents of the society held a protest and raised slogans on February 10 accusing the district administration of taking slow action on compensating and reimbursing the families that have been asked to move. The developer has allegedly only provided resettlement for those whose apartments were damaged in the
February 2022 collapse.
The Chintels Paradiso fiasco continues
This is not the first time that the Chintels Paradiso society, which has a total of nine high-rise towers and 542 apartments, has been in the news.
Another tower of Paradiso — Tower D — was deemed uninhabitable by IIT Delhi and was
set for demolition in November 2022 by Gurugram's Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav.
This came after the dining floor room on the 6th floor collapsed killing two women and injuring six others.
Back then, they were merely auditing Towers E and F, which have now been asked to be vacated.
Following the collapse, Gurgaon authorities in March 2022
stopped Chintels India Pvt Ltd, the developer, from selling apartments under its seven projects. The company's builder and construction contractor were also
booked by the police after an FIR was filed by one of the victim's family.
This was not an isolated incident as residents of Green View Society were also asked by Gurugram's deputy commissioner to vacate the property last year over safety issues.
The August 28, 2022, demolition of the Noida Supertech Twin Towers, which was ordered by the Supreme Court, witness intensive news coverage across the nation. About 3,700 kg of explosives were used to bring down the two towers, leaving the area in a sea of smoke and rubble.
With agency inputs.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
