Tower: Panel trying to demolish damaged chintel tower, evacuate others | Tech Reddy

A panel constituted into the February collapse of Gurgaon’s Chintel residential tower said the developer had ignored the concerns of the then RWA and residents. Two residents died in this incident.

The committee suggested that the damaged Tower D be demolished and the remaining eight towers of the society be vacated immediately for the safety of the tenants.

“The committee has submitted its report, and after reviewing the report, it is clear that the structure of Tower-D is not safe for habitation and due to high chloride in concrete throughout the structure, the structure is not technically or economically feasible for any kind of repairs,” said Gurgaon District. Magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav, while ordering the demolition of the tower.

“The committee has brought to my notice that there is hanging on a balcony of Tower-F and other distresses on the floors of various flats in Tower-E and F. It has also recommended that Tower-E and F. be evacuated immediately for the safety of the residents, ” added Kumar.

The investigation reports that no one was watching the repair work, and retrofitting work on G-102 was underway when Tower D fell, but was stopped shortly after the disaster.

“The committee observed that the excessively corroded steel reinforcement was painted with a yellow colored solution to hide the corrosion. This defect was further confirmed by the IIT Delhi report,” the committee said in the inquiry report.

Investigation revealed that shuttering support was required prior to retrofitting to Flat D-603, but was not provided.

“Representatives of both Chintel India Pvt Ltd and Manish Switchgear and Construction failed to control and monitor the retrofitting works and resulted in collapse of the slab and damage to the floor below,” the report said.

The collapse of the floor slab below the sixth floor suggests that there was a structural deficiency in the overall structure of Tower-D.

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

Regarding the rehabilitation of the families living in Tower-D, the committee said that the developer Chintel India Pvt Ltd should settle all the claims of the allottees of Tower-D within a specified period.

The panel appointed two independent valuers to assess the market value of the flats. The committee recommends that the developer settles the claims with the residents as mutually agreed within a specified period and gives an undertaking in this regard.

The price offered by the developer to the flat owners in Tower-D should not be lower than the valuation done by the valuation agencies.

In the interest of residents’ safety, IIT Delhi’s final report recommended that the rest of the towers — A, B, C, E, F, G, H, and J — be vacated pending the completion of the team’s ongoing investigation. The committee asked Sriram Institute to expedite the sampling process for Tower E and Tower F and other towers.