Gurugram administration orders evacuation of two towers in Chintels Paradiso

GURUGRAM: 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.