After Gurugram building collapses, high-rises in GB Nagar seek structural audit

After the lower floors of a high-rise building in Gurugram collapsed on Thursday, Apartment Owners’ Associations (AOAs) of high-rise societies in Gautam Budh Nagar have amplified their demand for a structural audit of buildings from the authorities. The AOAs say that there are a number of buildings that are unsafe and a mishap is a matter of time.

Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association, shot a letter to the Noida Authority chief executive officer Ritu Maheshwari on Friday, requesting a structural audit of the high-rise buildings in Noida that are more than 10 years old.

“As the builders have handed over societies to AOAs, we can only rely on the Noida Authority to conduct a structural audit of the high-rise societies (with more than four floors) that are over 10 years old. Several AOAs had asked the authorities for the same but there was no response,” said Singh.

Singh added that the Gurugram incident has shaken residents with fear. “The Gurugram incident should be an eye opener for authorities and preventive steps are a must to avoid any such incident in Noida,” he said.

Maheshwari said that when the Noida Authority issues a completion certificate to a real estate project, it is mandatory for the builder to carry out a complete structural audit.

“All high-rises that have been issued completion certificates already have structural audits done by the builders as it is a mandatory requirement for the certificate. However, still if some AOAs feel that a structural audit needs to be done, we can look into it. However, a blanket audit of all high-rises is not being considered at the moment,” the CEO said.

CEO Maheshwari added that the authority plans to conduct such an audit soon and is working on a mechanism for the same. “As AOAs have raised this issue earlier as well, we have tried to work out a mechanism for the audit as we will have to rope in a third agency for the same and will also have to work out the expenses. Such audits involve a lot of money,” she said.

In Greater Noida west too, the Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA) has demanded a structural audit of the high-rise societies. “We have been demanding structural audits from the Greater Noida Authority for two years now. There are various buildings in Greater Noida west area which are in a dilapidated condition. In some societies, plasters from the ceilings are falling off, or the basements get inundated with water during the monsoon season. Such issues need to be resolved as soon as possible,” said Abhishek Kumar, NEFOWA president.

Kumar has also written to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) CEO Narendra Bhooshan regarding the matter. “If we do not get a response from the authorities, we will take a legal course and file a public interest litigation (PIL) in the matter,” he added.

However, according to Bhooshan, since the GNIDA has given occupation and completion certificates to the high-rise buildings, their structural audits were already done. “Every building that got the certificates has gone through the structural audits conducted by us with assistance from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi or from the Jamia Millia Islamia. I can assure the residents that these buildings are structurally safe,” he said.

According to experts, a structural audit is a comprehensive check that looks into the safety aspect and structural design of a building or facility.

“The audit involves a complete check of the actual design along with a physical inspection and testing of the building at the site. In post-construction structural audits, it should be ensured that tests are again done on the site to ensure that the building has been constructed exactly in accordance with the suggested design. Lastly, it is important that conditions are laid for prior approval before making any structural changes to a building,” said architect Dikshu C Kukreja, managing principal, CP Kukreja Architects, New Delhi.