Chintels: Admin to decide on Towers A, B and C; seek reply from developer

Gurugram: The district committee probing the Chintels Paradiso incident has decided to seek the opinion of the flat owners of Towers A, B and C, which had been declared unsafe by Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) experts, and also seek a reply from the developer, officials aware of the matter said.

A meeting to discuss the way forward was held on Thursday evening in which it was decided that initially a representation from the owners will be taken, a reply sought from the developer (Chintels India Ltd) and thereafter the district committee will take a decision regarding the demolition of these towers, said a senior government official who was present at the meeting.

Gurugram deputy commissioner, Ajay Singh, who chaired the meeting said on Friday that the district administration has given the necessary guidelines to the builder for settlement and rehabilitation of residents of the society. “Interested citizens can choose any one of the given options according to their convenience. If you have any other demand or suggestion apart from these two options, then you should present it in writing before the committee so that the suggestions related to the builder management can be discussed,” he said in a statement issued by the district administration on Friday.

According to the district committee probing the matter, the flat owners have been given the option to either accept compensation decided by the district committee or opt for reconstruction of flats.

JN Yadav, vice president, Chintels India Ltd, when asked about the matter said that they had submitted the structural audit reports to the district administration and sought an early decision on them. “We have also submitted that the rehabilitation plan given to buyers of the six other towers will also be offered to the buyers of Towers A, B and C. The three towers are unsafe and the decision to demolish these should be taken at the earliest,” he said.

On February 10, 2022, renovations at a sixth-floor flat of Tower D in the society led to the ceiling of a bedroom collapsing, causing a cascade effect in which portions of flats caved in all the way down to the first floor. Following the incident, in which two residents were killed, the Haryana department of town and country planning (DTCP) ordered a structural audit of the entire complex.

Based on a report prepared by IIT-Delhi, the administration deemed five of the nine towers in the complex — D, E, F, G, and H — unsafe, and in need of demolition. Later, on January 5 this year, Tower J was also declared unsafe.

The fate of the remaining three towers A, B and C still hangs in balance as structural audit reports by CBRI have declared these structures unsafe but the district committee has still not taken a decision on these reports.

“The decision on the fate of three towers will be taken only after getting the views of the owners, developer and taking into account the structural audit reports. The interests of the flat owners, who are the sufferers will be kept primary. All efforts will be made to ensure that owners are rehabilitated,” said the senior government official cited above.

The flat owners of Tower A, B, and C and the representatives of Chintels Paradiso RWA, who were present in the meeting on Thursday said that they have asked the district administration to ensure that rent is paid to all owners irrespective of the fact that they have signed the agreement or not with the developer. “The builder should submit the redevelopment plan with timelines so that the owners can take a call on their future course of action. Whenever the decision to vacate is taken, the owners should be taken into confidence and the property valuation should be done again,” said Rakesh Hooda, president, Chintels Paradiso RWA, who was also present in the meeting.