Two IIT experts, engineer inspect Chintels Paradiso
GURUGRAM: Two experts from IIT Delhi and a structural engineer hired by the district administration--to probe the collapse of a tower in Chintels Paradiso and conduct a structural audit-inspected the site for close to three hours on Saturday afternoon, and collected samples.
Officials from the district administration, police and the department of town and country planning (DTCP), who are also members of the district probe committee, accompanied the experts during the inspection.
District town planner (enforcement) R S Bhath, who is also a member of the district investigation committee, said the two experts from IIT and the structural engineer conducted detailed inspection of Tower D, where the collapse took place. “The experts also collected samples but these will be kept in the custody of Gurugram police as a record,” said Bhath adding that the basement and all affected areas were inspected in detail.
The team of experts also discussed the process of sampling to be adopted, the spots from where the samples have to be taken and how to go about the entire exercise. “The IIT team will finalise the plan of sampling and make recommendations to us within the next two days about the future course of action. Based on their recommendations, the district probe committee will finalise a testing agency in the next ten days,” said Bhath, adding that all efforts are being made to expedite the structural audit of the condominium.
The district committee formed to probe the Chintels Paradiso collapse on Saturday also said that it has appointed two private firms, which will evaluate the interiors of the 58 alloted flats in Tower D, which had witnessed partial collapse on February 10, and also assess the market value of these flats before the incident. “These two private firms will assess the value of these flats so that the exact amount of loss to owners can be assessed,” said Bhath.
On February 10, six floors in Tower D of Chintels Paradiso collapsed partially, leaving hundreds of residents homeless and killing two residents. Following the incident, the state government had ordered a structural audit of the condominium and evacuation of the tower as it was unsafe for habitation. The government had also formed a district investigation committee to probe the incident, and announced a CBI probe.
Rakesh Hooda, president of Chintels Paradiso apartment owners association, who was also present during the inspection said that on behalf of the owners, he asked the team to expedite the process. “Things are already delayed and the structural audit process must be hastened so that matters can be brought to a close as soon as possible. The owners and residents are already suffering due to the delay,” he said.
The district probe committee in its preliminary report on March 12 had observed the possibility of issues related to structural design, material quality and construction quality. It is on the recommendation of this team that a structural engineer has been hired, and a testing agency will be taken on board to test the samples.