Gurugram: Panel for structural audit of 18 societies finalised

GURUGRAM: The department of town and country planning ((DTCP) along with district administration has finalised the panel of four agencies for carrying out structural audits of 18 residential societies where residents allege serious flaws in construction quality. Members of the panel include Bureau Vertias, TPC Technical projects Consultants, Vintech Consultants and NNC Design International.

Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said the panel members have been issued a letter of intent (LOI) and consultants will be assigned residential societies within three to four days. “In the first phase, consultants will carry out a structural audit of 18 residential projects with serious issues in construction and submit the reports by this month end,” he said.

The panel, according to the terms, will have to determine the quality of construction and the root cause for structural defects and seepage. Also, it will have to ascertain if the buildings are structurally safe for habitation or can be made safe after undertaking some measures.

District town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia said the consultants will carry out visual inspection in the first phase, and those found with serious lapses will be tested further. “Based on the findings of the inspection, further course of action will be decided. The cost of audit will be borne by the developers,” he said. On the basis of complaints received from homebuyers during the past two years, the district administration had prepared a list of 60 residential projects having poor construction quality and structural defects. These complaints were divided into moderate, severe and critical categories.

Most of these residential societies are located along the Dwarka Expressway and Southern Peripheral Road.

After a vertical collapse of living rooms of five flats at Tower D of Chintels Paradiso on February 10, DTCP had shortlisted five highrise societies — Raheja Vedanta in Sector 108, Raheja Atharva in Sector 109, Brisk Lumbini in Sector 109, M3M Woodshire in Sector 107 and Mahindra Aura in Sector 110A — for a structural audit by IIT-Roorkee.