Chintels Paradiso Collapse: Gurugram’s Chintels Paradiso housing complex, which partially collapsed killing two women last week, was visited by IIT-Delhi officials in Sector 109 on Friday to inspect tower D where the incident took place. However, IIT Delhi which has to carry out the structural audit is yet to provide a timeline of their work.
What Led to the Collapse?
According to DTCP’s preliminary probe, repair work in the sixth-floor apartment led to multiple ceilings below it collapsing, but the exact nature of the repair work was not clear yet, as mere flooring work could not damage the entire structure, said RS Bhath, district town planner, enforcement.
FIR Filed
Two FIRs have been registered. The first FIR in the case was filed on last week on a complaint by the husband of one of the victims of the tragedy. Bhath said that the second FIRin the case, naming all the directors of Chintels India Limited, Ashok Solomon, chairman of the Chintels India Ltd, the structure engineer, architect and the contractor, was registered after their report was filed, and the FSL report, which will take at least 60 days, will play a key role in ascertaining what exactly led to the collapse.
Ongoing Investigation
Police said their teams also visited the building on Tuesday and recorded more statements of the victims who are residents of Tower D. Rajeev Kumar Yadav, assistant commissioner of police, Udyog Vihar, who is leading the SIT formed by the police commissioner, said that they have recorded statements of the victims who were directly affected due to the collapse, as well as the witnesses.
“Our aim is to make the case stronger so that the suspects can be brought to court at the earliest. We are preparing all the documents related to the case,” he said.
What Do the Developers Have to Say?
The Paradiso group housing project was contracted to the reputed Bhayana Builders after a stringent due diligence process for construction, said the company in a statement.
“We have submitted the contract copy to the DTP Gurugram. It clearly specifies the highest quality of material and workmanship to be used for the project. As per our records submitted by the contractor, the best of materials from well-known players have been used for the project, details of which have also been shared with the investigating authorities. We ourselves will take up the matter very seriously so that not just us but other developers and buyers do not face a similar situation in future,” Chintels said.
Temporary Accommodation for Affected Residents
Meanwhile, residents of the society whose homes were affected have been temporarily moved to different flats in the society’s sister-projects. However, residents in the temporary accommodation said they were unhappy with the condition of the current apartments, but added that the new apartments that were being renovated seemed to be in better condition.
Residents are seeking monetary compensation or permanent relocation to safer apartments of similar value, said Varun Dhamija, one of the residents of Chintels Paradiso.
Affected Families to Get Rent Support, Refund
The developer, Chintels India, said they were working for the rehabilitation of the affected residents. “Our onsite team is working round-the-clock to ensure the smooth rehabilitation of the affected residents. We will compensate the affected residents or accommodate them in alternative arrangements while the necessary repairs or fresh construction are completed,” Chintels officials told news18.com. The developer said if some of the residents were not happy with the arrangements and wanted to shift to other societies, the company was willing to pay their rent.
What are the Chintels Paradiso Residents Demanding?
The foremost demand of the residents remains the arrest and cancellation of passports of the firm’s directors and a structural audit. Dhamija told News18.com that they wanted to further supervise the structural audit which is due to be conducted by IIT-Delhi. According to reports, the Haryana CM Manohar Khattar has already ordered a structural audit of the property.
Besides these, the residents demanded the cancellation of the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA) license granted to Chintels India group.
