Reports reveal no structural issues in Central Park 2, Tulip Ivory

The structural audit reports of Central Park 2 Bellevue and Tulip Ivory housing societies are among the 15 reports that have been submitted to the Gurugram district administration and were accessed by the HT.

The reports of 13 other condominiums have also been shared with the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), said a senior department of town and country planning (DTCP) official on Thursday evening.

While no structural problem was observed in the superstructure of the Central Park 2 Bellevue condominium in Sector 48 during the structural audit carried out by technical experts, the report mentioned that expansion joints are open and untreated in the basement.

Likewise, in the report for Tulip Ivory in Sector 70, the experts have recommended that immediate structural strengthening is not required, but work is required in the basement and in areas where plasters are weak.

The structural audits were carried out by private technical firms on the direction of the district administration and DTCP.

According to the report of Central Park 2 Bellevue, all expansion joints in the basement are open and not treated and heavy seepage was witnessed through them during the inspection, and it could lead to corrosion of steel and deterioration of concrete. “Water leakage has been observed on the slabs, while running water was observed on retaining walls, which could affect both concrete and steel,” it said.

The tower area has dampness and plasters have cracked and peeled off, the report said, adding that it was a non-structural issue.

“Most of the problems related to the basement area are at expansion joints, the degree of deterioration of steel and concrete needs to be understood on the basis of the reports of non-destructive testing (NDT),” the report said.

“The report clearly states that there is no structural defect in the buildings,” said a spokesperson of the Central Park developer. He added that project Bellevue (towers 1 to 9) was delivered and handed over more than a decade ago and deficiencies have crept up due to lack of upkeep. “We take great pride in quality construction by using the best materials and architecture and our other projects are testimony to our commitment towards this,” he added.

Prabhat Bhardwaj, president, Central Park 2 Bellevue RWA, however, said, “All these allegations against the RWA are baseless; no formal handover of maintenance of the complex took place to the actual RWA. We have not received the architectural and structural maps of the buildings, sewage and stormwater discharge systems. The problems in the buildings persisted from the beginning itself. What was the need for so many additional metal pillars in the basement if there were no structural issues,” he said.

Bhardwaj further said that they were not satisfied with the report as many changes carried out in the structure have not been considered in the audit.

In the case of Tulip Ivory, the report said that in basement areas, leakage was observed in expansion joints and drains at several places. The experts also observed exposed reinforcements at some places. It also said that plaster damage was observed at some places while cracks in beams were also found in some locations in the basement.

The report said that in the tower area, leakage was found in sunken portions of toilets in some flats, dampness in shaft walls and damage in external and internal walls at several places. “In the current situation, immediate structural strengthening is not required, but it needs some remedial/curative action. Non-destructive tests need to be performed for further course of action in the basement, around the expansion joints and rectification of affected areas after confirming the results of the tests conducted,” it said.

District town planner Amit Madholia said that all remedial actions in the condominiums will be based on the results of the non-destructive tests recommended by the technical experts. “The audits have been carried out and in the next phase, testing will be done to find a solution to the problems, which have been found in the visual inspection” he said.

The Tulip Ivory developer on Thursday said that there was no major structural issue in the condominium and only maintenance issues were found. “Seepage and dampness have been found in the complex, but it is a result of the extra additions made by the home owners. Whatever recommendations are made by the technical experts will be complied with and remedial measures taken. The condominium is around 10 years old and minor issues do come up, but these will be resolved. Also, the homeowners must also follow rules and not make changes that impact the structure,” said Praveen Jain, managing director, Tulip Developers.

“We have studied the audit reports and the findings clearly reveal the gaps in the structural audit. The suggestions by the audit team are as per our expectations. The work to be done by Tulip Developers must be taken up as soon as possible because it can have long-term effect on the building structure,” said Ajay Sharma, president, Tulip Ivory RWA.