Tower H of Chintels also deemed unsafe, B and C are fine

The district administration has received the structural audit reports of three more towers — towers B, C, and H– of Chintels Paradiso condominium in Sector 109, and Tower H has been deemed unsafe by experts of IIT-Delhi, officials privy to the information said on Thursday.

The district administration will table the structural audit reports of towers B,C, and H and interior valuation report of towers E and F in the district committee meeting to be held later this week, after which it will be shared with home owners, the builder Chintels India, and the residents’ welfare association (RWA) in the next three to four days, said officials.

Officials said IIT-Delhi has handed over the structural audit reports of towers B, C, and H to the district administration, and tower B and C have been found safe, while Tower H has been deemed unsafe.

A senior district administration official said the reports will be shared with the owners and the RWA within the next three to four days. “The interior evaluation report of towers E and F will also be shared with them after these are tabled in the district committee meeting,” said the official on the condition of anonymity.

According to district officials, the IIT committee has recommended an annual structural audit of towers B and C, to ascertain their safety periodically.

Chintels Paradiso condominium has nine residential towers and the state government had ordered the structural audit of all nine towers after six floors of the Tower D collapsed partially on February 10 last year, killing two women residents.

So far, the district administration has declared towers D, E, F and G unsafe on the recommendations of technical experts from IIT-Delhi. Tower A was deemed safe by experts. The report of Tower J is yet to come in, said officials.

Currently, towers D, E and F have been vacated by residents while around 10 to 12 families are staying in Tower G, said the RWA.

Rakesh Hooda, president, Chintels Paradiso RWA, said, “We are waiting for the reports of B, C, H and J towers. The administration must release the reports at the earliest. The interior evaluation report of towers E and F should also be released soon,” he said.

The RWA said apart from the buyback option, authorities must also ensure that the offer to reconstruct flats is put back on the table — the realtor had withdrawn this two days ago citing a lack of response — and rent must be paid to owners who opt for reconstructed flats.

Officials from the department of town and country planning (DTCP) said the structural audit of Tower J is likely to taken some time as the laboratory test report is yet to come. This report, when it is submitted to the district administration, will be sent to the experts from IIT-Delhi, who will evaluate the findings and make the final recommendations.

District administration officials also said once the report of the Tower H is tabled in the district committee and made public, orders will be issued for owners to vacate their flats. The interior valuation of towers G and H will also be initiated soon, they said.

A spokesperson of Chintels Group said, “We have yet not received the official information about the three new reports. When we do, option 1 — buyback of flats at the rate of 6,500 per square foot plus paid stamp duty and interior costs as determined by the government approved valuator — will be extended to the apartment owners of Tower H.”