‘We put our life savings into these flats’: Residents of Chintels Gurgaon in shock at news of demolition

He said a structural audit report by experts from IIT-Delhi found that the 17-floor tower had “structural deficiencies”, that the “quality was so poor that it was not technically and economically feasible to repair it”, and that it should be demolished instead.

Lalit Kapur, who had a house in Tower D, said: “All flat owners are aghast. We can’t believe we have been cheated in this way when we have put our life-long earnings into buying these flats. People are in shock that the condition of the structure was this bad.”

The only information residents received on the matter is through the press conference addressed by the DC Saturday, he added.

Like most other flat owners from that tower, his family has been put up by the builder in a vacant flat in the same residential complex.

“They have just given us a roof, there are no amenities of any kind. We have basically been on the road ever since the incident… Our bookings were made in 2012, and the handover was done in 2017. If we bought it for a certain amount and if we need to buy an apartment of the same kind today, the cost will increase two-fold. We would need the settlement to meet that,” he said.

Kapur estimates that he had bought his 3,150 square foot flat at Rs 6,500 per square foot, along with other charges.

DC Yadav had said that moving ahead, the first option is for allottees and the developer to mutually settle claims — by either buying back the flats or providing a flat elsewhere.

If an agreement can’t be reached, the district administration will ask the developer to settle claims at the current market value of the flats, estimated by independent evaluators appointed by their committee. If allottees do not agree after this, the parties can approach court, he had said.

However, residents point to a letter written by the developers to the DC in February which stated that if auditors recommend demolition and reconstruction of the tower, a committee comprising three flat owners will be allowed to monitor the construction.

“Why has this option of reconstruction been done away with? As of now, we have been living like refugees in another flat where the builders gave us one Godrej almirah and a bed. However, if they commit today to building a tower to our standards on the same site, we can continue living in the temporary accommodation for two-three years. If not, they will have to provide a settlement at the market rate as of today along with the cost of interiors and compensation for mental trauma. I am now 68 years old. At this age, I can’t afford to put any more money into a home,” said Vikram Gambhir, another Tower D resident.

Residents and the RWA said they “are not confident” with the process of estimating the value of the flats by independent evaluators. “The residents do not know what valuation is done by the evaluators. There were two casual visits after which the report was submitted in a few days,” said Rakesh Hooda, president, Chintels Paradiso RWA.