Residents Of Gurgaon High-Rise To Be Evacuated For Building Demolition

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of two towers in a residential complex here, days after he directed authorities to demolish another tower.

Two women were killed when the dining room floor of a sixth-floor apartment of Tower D at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 came down on February 10, triggering the collapse of roofs and floors directly under it, till the first floor.

The incident had prompted the authorities to conduct a structural audit of several high-rise buildings in the city.

In March, a preliminary inspection report submitted by IIT-Delhi to a magisterial committee probing the collapse had found that the steel reinforcements in the debris and collapsed portion were corroded and there were rust marks on pieces of concrete.

Yadav, who is also the district magistrate, on Saturday ordered the tower's demolition citing the IIT-Delhi report. As per the report, the structure of Tower-D is not safe for habitation and is also not technically and economically feasible for any kind of repair.

A magisterial inquiry headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena upheld IIT-Delhi's recommendation of not just demolishing Tower D, but also vacating towers A, B, C, E, F, G, H and J till further investigation.

Yadav, while sharing the IIT report on Saturday, said the team had found structural deficiencies in the construction of the tower, whose repair is not possible on technical and economic grounds. "Therefore, the entire Tower D of Chintels Paradiso society should be demolished," Yadav said.

The administration has also instructed the developer to settle the claims of allottees within 60 days.

The inquiry found both the developer and the flat repairing contractor responsible for collapse.

"I order Chintels India to close Tower-D permanently and start the process for demolition. Further a direction is being issued to settle the dues/liabilities of flat owners of Tower-D of Chintels Paradiso housing complex Sector-I 09 Gurugram within a period of 60 days from the date of issuance of this order," Yadav said in his order.

The magisterial inquiry found repair work (retrofitting) in Flat D-603 as the key reason behind the collapse and held both Chintels India and M/s Manish Switchgear and Construction responsible.

The committee has also recommended the immediate evacuation towers E and F for the safety of residents and asked Shriram Institute to expedite the sampling process.

"IIT Delhi's final report had also mentioned that the remaining Towers i.e. A, B, C, E, F, G, H and J be also be vacated until the ongoing investigation by the team is completed in the interest of the safety of the residents. Therefore, the committee agrees with the IIT Delhi report. Developer should be issued directions immediately," the committee said in its report.

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