Gurugram: More trouble in Paradiso as families told to vacate 2 towers

GURUGRAM: In NCR’s chequered real estate track record, Thursday marked the beginning of another distressing episode for homebuyers. Chintels, the real estate developer whose condominium, Paradiso, witnessed two deaths this February because of a cave-in at one of its towers, was on Thursday told to get two more towers vacated over concerns about structural issues. The directions were issued by district town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia, two days after a government panel submitted its probe report into the February 10 cave-in at Tower D and recommended the immediate evacuation of towers E and F plagued by various problems, including “sagging of a balcony”. .
Won’t Budge Without Settlement: Paradiso Residents
The latest government order to empty out E and F towers of Gurugram's Chintels Paradiso because of structural problems will take the number of affected families in the condominium who will either see their homes razed or cast into uncertainty for no fault of theirs to around 180. Towers E and F together have 116. Tower D has 64 flats. Most have been sold. The Gurugram administration earlier this week ordered the demolition of D, finding it beyond repair. The tower was evacuated at the time of the February 10 cave-in. The developer and the families living in E and F have a short window because district town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia asked for the shifting to be completed before the IIT-Delhi structural audit report of the two towers is received, likely in two weeks.
Currently, 42 families live in the two towers. The rest have moved out since the February 10 cave-in. So far, according to sources, claims of owners of half a dozen Tower D flats damaged in the cave-in have been settled by the developer. Others in D, as well as those who have moved out of E and F, have either been accommodated temporarily in other unsold Chintels flats within and outside Paradiso or have taken up homes on rent, which are being billed to the realtor. The number of families shifted within Paradiso so far is around 24. Madholia, who has been appointed the nodal officer to oversee the demolition of Tower D, has asked Chintels to submit a timeline and process for vacating E and F within five days. In his letter, Madholia noted there were visible signs of distress on various floors of the two towers. “This should be treated as urgent and the developer shall be held responsible if any incident takes place in these towers,” said the letter.
The town and country planning department received complaints about construction defects in the two towers in mid-September. During a subsequent inspection, it was found that a balcony on the fourth floor of E had sagged and a few others were in dilapidated. IIT-Delhi is conducting structural audits of all Paradiso towers, which was ordered by the CM after the cave-in. So far, only the report on Tower D has been submitted. The sudden directions to evacuate drew angry reactions from families living in the two towers. Many of them said they wouldn’t budge till they see a comprehensive compensation and resettlement plan from the administration and the developer. Some appeared resigned after an attritional battle with uncertainty about securing their biggest asset – a home – for months.