GURUGRAM: After the Supertech twin towers in Noida, NCR is likely to see another highrise demolition, this time in Gurugram . An 18-storey residential building at Chintels Paradiso, where two residents died on February 10 this year after a vertical collapse of five living rooms, will be brought down, Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said on Saturday. The decision, he said, was based on findings of the structural audit by IIT-Delhi that Tower D was not habitable and is beyond repair due to construction defects. Yadav said the audit report recommended the tower’s demolition, observing that its repair was “technically and economically” not feasible. Tower D, which has 64 (mainly four-BHK) apartments, was evacuated after the cave-in. The report, according to the deputy commissioner, also said the defects were due to substandard concrete and corrosion in steel bars due to the presence of chlorine in water used for construction. During reinforcement work, the steel bars simply got a coat of paint to cover up the corrosion, the DC said. Yadav said the audit also found retrofitting work being carried out in the flat number D-601 was not up to standards and was being carried out without supervision by construction company Manish Switchgear. D-601 is where the cave-in originated, vertically taking down the living room floors of apartments up to the first floor. Two residents – Ekta Bhardwaj (31) and Sunita Srivastava (55) – were buried under the debris in their second and first floor apartments. Yadav said the government probe committee under additional deputy commissioner Vishram Meena looking into the Paradiso collapse will submit a detailed report on Monday, after which the demolition order will be issued. The deputy commissioner said a compensation mechanism had been thought of for the flat owners, with the option of seeking judicial redress factored in. “The developer will be directed to settle claims of all flat owners of Tower D, for which there are three options. The first is a mutual settlement between the developer and flat owners within a given time frame, the second is appointment of two individual evaluators who will work out the current market cost of the flats and is acceptable to both parties, and the third is flat owners moving court for a settlement,” said Yadav. A spokesperson for Chintels India told TOI, “Ever since the unfortunate incident took place, we have been cooperating with the government authorities and the affected residents in every possible way and will continue to do so.” Asked about the steel bars just being painted, the spokesperson said a compound was applied on the steel to stop further rusting and damage. After the cave-in, the developer offered new flats to the owners of the affected flats while others were either offered alternative flats or rents for their new accommodation within or outside the society. The Paradiso cave-in led to the Haryana government bringing in new guidelines on structural audits of buildings. The district administration has also ordered the structural audit of two other towers – E and F – at Paradiso after complaints from residents about “sagging” balconies and stress on the floor. Structural audits have, meanwhile, been ordered of 16 out of the 70 residential societies where homebuyers had complained about “serious” construction problems and the report is expected to arrive by November 15.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/not-habitable-after-twin-towers-paradiso-highrise-likely-to-fall-next/articleshow/95327856.cms