‘Poor construction quality’: PWD to raze complex for judicial officers in Dwarka

According to officials, the complex has 11 blocks and 7 buildings. Out of the 70 quarters, 38 were Type V (stilt plus 7 floors) and 32 were Type VI quarters (ground plus 8 floors). Work was awarded in 2014 and the target was to complete it by February 2017. But the first contract was rescinded in 2018; an amount of Rs 30 crore as against the total cost of Rs 48 crore had been spent on the work, they said. Subsequently, as the building lay incomplete, the department re-tendered the work; Rs 2.5 crore (approximately) was paid to the second contractor. However, the second contractor too left the building incomplete and informed the department that the structure was seemingly “unstable” and developing “cracks”, said officials.

“Post this, engineers responsible for the project also abandoned work and left the site unattended… seeking time to consult various institutions without arriving at a concrete solution to the problem,” said a senior official.

“Three different institutions were consulted in the last three years — CBRI, Roorkee (2021), CPWD (2022), and IIT-Delhi (2023) — which submitted reports to the department last November. After considering recommendations from all three reports, the PWD found that the condition of the buildings deteriorated due to lack of basic maintenance such as plastering and painting of external RCC members for protection against corrosion…,” said the official.

“Lack of timely action by the project engineers concerned was one of the main reasons behind the deterioration. Timely action could have reduced the damage and the building could have been re-developed and allotted for public use… The department has no option left but to demolish it,” said a senior official.

Earlier this year, the PWD special secretary also visited the complex and directed the Chief Engineer concerned to blacklist and immediately register an FIR against the contractor who executed the work for “negligence” and “causing harm to life and public property by using sub-standard building material”.

Further, officials said, showcause notices were also issued to the superintendent engineer, executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer who executed the “sub-standard work and paid the contractor”. Disciplinary action against these officers was suggested.

It was also directed to conduct an inquiry on why the quality was not checked during execution of the project and how the asset was handled by the Project Division without affixing any responsibility.

Meanwhile, another senior PWD official said the department has floated tenders for the demolition. “It will be done mechanically… The agency will deploy at least two high-reach machines with a height of 25 mts or more… the contractor will have to carry out the work without creating any hindrance to nearby buildings and residents… they will also have to clear the debris,” said officials.

The government, in a response, told The Indian Express, “It (buildings) was empty. Even before it was completed, there had been (issues of) very poor-quality construction and… flaws. A vigilance inquiry has been initiated against engineers involved and the contractor blacklisted.”