Panel seeks demolition of affected Chintels Tower, evacuation of others

A panel set up to look into the February collapse of the Chintels residential tower in Gurgaon has said that the developer ignored the concerns raised by the then-RWA and residents. Two inhabitants died in the incident.

The committee has advised that the affected tower D be demolished and that the remaining eight towers of the society be promptly evacuated for the sake of the tenants' safety.

"The committee has submitted its report, and after perusing the report, it is evident that the structure of Tower-D is not safe for habitation, and due to the high chloride content of the concrete throughout the structure, the structure is also not technically or economically feasible for any kind of repair," said Nishant Kumar Yadav, district magistrate of Gurgaon, while ordering the demolition of the tower.


"The committee has brought to my attention that there is sagging in one of the balconies in Tower-F and other distress in the floors of various other flats in Tower-E and F. It has also recommended that the Tower-E & F should also be vacated immediately for the safety of the residents," added Kumar.

The investigation report says that no one was watching over the repair work, and that retrofitting work was going on in G-102 when tower D fell, but it was stopped right away after the disaster.

"The committee observed that excessively corroded steel reinforcement was painted with a yellow-coloured solution to conceal the corrosion. This lapse is further corroborated by the IIT Delhi report," said the committee in the investigation report.

The investigation found that shuttering support was required before undertaking the retrofitting in flat D-603, but it was not provided.

"The representative of both Chintels India Pvt Ltd and Manish Switchgear and construction failed to regulate and monitor the retrofitting works and which lead to the collapse of slab and ensuing damage to the lower floors," the report said.

The manner in which the slab of floors below the sixth floor collapsed indicates that there were structural deficiencies in the overall structure of Tower -D.

The report said the root cause of the collapse is attributed to the inherent problem of excessive chloride content in RCC, which induces and accelerates corrosion in the reinforcement and hence in the reinforced cement concrete.

Regarding the re-settlement of the families who were residing in Tower-D, the committee has said that developer Chintels India Pvt Ltd. should settle all the claims of the allottees of Tower-D in a time-bound manner.

The panel had appointed two independent evaluators to ascertain the market value of flats. The committee recommends that the developer settle the claims with residents as mutually agreed upon in a time bound manner and provide an undertaking in this regard.

The value offered by the developer to flat owners in tower-D should not be less than the evaluation done by valuation agencies.

In the interest of the residents' safety, IIT Delhi's final report recommended that the remaining towers -- A, B, C, E, F, G, H, and J -- be vacated until the team's ongoing investigation is completed. The committee has asked Shriram Institute to expedite the sampling process for Tower E and Tower F and other towers.