4th tower at Chintels society declared unsafe, residents told to vacate in 15 days

Over a year ago, a large portion of a sixth-floor apartment in tower D of the society collapsed all the way to the first floor, killing two women and injuring a man. There are nine towers in Chintels and four of these have been declared unsafe so far — E, F, D and G.

Meanwhile, residents of tower G said the RWA was not informed of the order. Said P B Harish, a resident of the tower, “The audit report was released to the public in June. The administration was sitting on it for three months. Twelve days after the report was made public, there is an order issuing vacation. The report clearly says the material is corroding and the tower is unsafe for habitation. Wasn’t it unsafe the three months before they informed us?”

Residents said the case was in Supreme Court and they were waiting for the next hearing on July 4. “How can such orders be passed when the matter is sub-judice?… The pre-emptive steps the DC has taken should be issued along with a proper rehabilitation method… We had asked either for a flat or the rent for the interim till the flat on the same premises is reconstructed. We have not received a proper resolution,” said Manoja Singh, another resident of G tower.

The audit report had stated that there is “rapid and widespread corrosion of reinforcement almost throughout the structure”. “This corrosion is due to chlorides that were mixed into concrete at the time of its production. The need for frequent repair in the structures, as has been reported by residents, also appears to have been caused by corrosion of steel reinforcement due to the presence of these chlorides. Poor quality of concrete has also played a role in rapid deterioration. Given the high chloride content in the concrete almost throughout the structure, repair of these structures for safe usage is not technically and economically feasible. In the current condition, due to rapid corrosion of reinforcement due to the presence of chlorides, the structure is not safe for habitation.” it said.

The builder has given two options to residents to settle with flat owners of four towers. JN Yadav Senior VP, Chintels India, said: “We have given two options — one is for buyback at 6,500 per square foot plus actual stamp duty paid plus the cost of interiors as determined by the government-appointed evaluators. We have also given a second option of rebuilding in which case we will charge Rs 1,000 per square foot built up for material cost increases, but will not pay rent. We have not issued any eviction notice.”

Singh, however, said: “How can they expect us to cough up the EMI and pay the rent at the same time?” “They said it’s going to be rebuilt in three years. But the process is going to be very long and we will have to pay the rent meanwhile,” said Vikram Gambhir, a tower D resident, who now stays in tower C.

DC Yadav said the tower was unsafe and needed to be vacated soon. “Compensation will be provided by the builder and rent will be given till a settlement is reached. We will make sure that happens,” he added.

The order mentioned that the SIT is looking into the matter of compensation by the builder. It also said legal action will be taken against violators under IPC Section 188 and sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.