Concrete slab falls on two cars at DLF condominium

A 20-feet-long and 2.5-feet-wide concrete slab fell on two cars at D Tower in Oakwood Estate condominium in DLF Phase Two on Thursday evening, the condominium’s resident welfare association (RWA)said on Friday, adding that the cars were unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries in the incident. The slab was part of a projection of a tower in the condominium.

Vipin Yadav, president of the Oakwood Estate Condominium Association, which maintains the condominium, said that reinforced bars or steel was missing in the slab which fell and this is a problem caused by construction issues.

“We have lodged a complaint with DLF and asked them to conduct a structural audit. We have carried out repairs in different parts of the building but this part of the slab was not touched. This is an issue which has arisen due to missing steel bars,” he said, adding that no complaint has been lodged with government authorities.

When asked about the matter, a senior DTCP official said they have not received any complaint in this matter.

The Oakwood Estate, located near MG Road, has four towers with 300 flats. The condominium was constructed and developed by DLF but is presently being maintained by the Oakwood Estate Condominium Association, the resident body.

A senior DLF official said that maintenance of the condominium was handed over to the RWA more than 15 years ago.

The owner of one car damaged in the incident said he had stepped out of the vehicle just 10 minutes before the slab fell. According to residents, there was also a child near the spot who escaped unhurt.

“I parked the car at 8pm and 10 minutes later, the security guard called me and informed me about the incident,” said Amit Puri, a resident of D72 in the condominium. He said that the concrete slab fell in the middle of his car.

Another resident said that the incident should prompt authorities to check the entire structure.

In the recent past, there have been several incidents of parts of residential buildings collapsing, following which the department of town and country planning directed developers and RWAs to take up preventive maintenance works to safeguard the structures.