Builders have to submit structural audit reports for OC from April 1 in Noida

NOIDA: The structural audit policy of the Noida Authority will finally come into effect from April 1,
making it mandatory for developers to seek occupancy certificates for new or delayed projects
after getting their buildings structurally vetted by an institute empanelled by the Noida Authority
and creating a framework for homebuyers to seek quick redress on their complaints about
structural defects in existing buildings.
Senior manager (planning) Devendra Nigam said, “Starting April 1, the structural audit report
obtained from one of the empanelled agencies would be compulsory with the online application
for partial or full OC. If the towers and society are safe from all angles, the developer will get the
OC.”
For existing buildings, officials said that if at least 25% of occupants of a building support an
audit, they can immediately approach the Authority. A committee led by an additional CEO-level
officer would then look into their complaint and decide whether the defect is minor or major. For
a major defect, the developer or the AOA, depending on the time elapsed since the OC
issuance, will be responsible for engaging an agency for a structural audit and fixing the defect.

“After getting the OC, the builder will be responsible for structural audits for the next five years
and rectifying the deficiencies found in the structural audits during this period. After five years, it
will be the responsibility of the AOA,” said Nigam.
The Noida Authority has empanelled seven reputed institutes—IIT Kanpur, Aligarh Muslim
University, BITS Pilani, Delhi Technical University, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology
in Allahabad, Malaviya National Institute of Technology in Jaipur, and Central Building Research
Institute in Roorkee—for the structural audits. The developer or AOA has to choose an auditor
from among them, said officials, adding that the developer or AOA and the institute engaged
would mutually determine the audit fee.
Explaining the process, Nigam said, “If 25% or more buyers complain about a defect, the
committee would examine the complaint. If the committee decides the complaint pertains to
minor defects, the Authority will issue a notice to the developer or AOA, whosoever is in charge,
to redress the complaint in three months. If the committee decides the complaint pertains to
major defects, a structural audit becomes necessary, which should happen in a month. Then the
developer or AOA will redress the complaint.”

He added that if the developer fails to ensure the completion of the audit within the prescribed
period, the Authority will get the audit done through a consultant and add the amount to its
liability. In the case of the AOA, the Authority will recover the amount from the management
board through a recovery certificate.
“If the structural audit report reveals that a building needs several repairs and retrofitting, the
developer or AOA will have to start work at the site in a month and complete the same in six
months. The committee can extend this period on a case-to-face basis,” said Nigam. “If the AOA
or developer does not start the work, the Authority will act as per the provisions of the Industrial
Area Development Act.”
Manoj Gaur, president of CREDAI (NCR) and CMD of Gaurs Group, welcomed the appointment
of reputed technical institutes for the structural audit of buildings. “All the CREDAI registered
developers are already getting structural audits from institutes. But, this move will bring clarity
and transparency to the process and increase buyers’ confidence,” Gaur said.