Interim report on Gurugram’s Chintels Paradiso structural condition submitted

Says structure deteriorated at a pace faster than expected

by Pankaj Patrakar Yadav

New Delhi, March 25 (Delhi Crown): The structure of Tower-D at the Chintels Paradiso housing society in Gurugram’s Sector-109 had “deteriorated at a pace faster than expected”, and that there is a possibility of “issues” related to material quality in it which led to its vertical collapse claiming two lives on Feb. 10 and injuring a few others, said a three-member team of experts from IIT-Delhi in its interim report.

The interim report was submitted before the office of District Town Planner (Enforcement), Gurugram.

In an unprecedented mishap (on Feb. 10) in the country’s real estate history, the portion of the living area in Tower-D of Chintels Paradiso had witnessed a vertical collapse from the sixth-floor till the second-floor trapping many residents in the debris. Two women had died in the mishap.

The shocking incident had sent panic waves among residents living in multi-storeys and high-rise flats.

“Faster than expected deterioration had occurred in the structures. It is felt that there is a possibility of the presence of issues related to structural design, material quality, and construction quality in the structures. Each of these possibilities needs to be investigated through a detailed survey, testing, assessment on-and-off the site and analysis programme,” said the interim report prepared by Prof. S. Bishnoi, Prof. Dipti Ranjan Sahoo and Prof. Vasant Matsagar.

The three-member IIT Committee was tasked to find out the reasons behind this mishappening and responsibility be fixed after the scrutiny of the roles of various persons/agencies/processes involved in the matter, viz. developer, contractor, structural engineer, proof consultant and supervising architect, engineer, government agencies/officials.

It was also expected to determine the root-cause of failure of the structure after conducting appropriate testing of building materials, rubble, exposed reinforcement bars, aggregators, etc.

The Gurugram authorities had also tasked them to undertake a detailed scrutiny of the structural drawings/designs along with a detailed study of documentation of the mechanism and personnel involved in the construction.

The Committee was also expected to ascertain whether the affected block (Tower-D) is structurally safe for habitation, or can be made safe for habitation after undertaking any suggested measures.

The IIT-Delhi Committee had also to suggest the safeguards/measures to be followed to avoid such mis-happenings in future. Any suggestion with respect to safety of other building blocks in the colony.

It suggested that in order to assess the possibility of the presence of deficiencies in structural design in the structures, a detailed structural design of the structures be carried out. In order to assess the possibility of deficiencies in material and construction quality in the structures, it recommended that a detailed survey and testing programme be carried out. For this purpose, a structural survey and testing agency of the choice of the authorities who would be available to work under the guidance of the Committee from IIT Delhi, may be engaged.

Since the repair work that was in progress could also have had a role to play in the collapses, it is requested that the detailed procedure being followed in the buildings be informed in writing to the Committee.

The site of the collapse and some of the other buildings in the Chintels Paradiso project were visited by the Committee. Visual inspection of the site was carried out and the site of collapse was closely examined other locations were also visited and the main observations were listed.

Discussions were held with the authorities and some residents. Initial recommendations to carry out a detailed survey, testing and analysis of the structures were made, said the Committee in its interim report.