Signature View needs to be demolished, Delhi high court told

The MoHUA affidavit, based on a report prepared by a three-member committee, is in line with an Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi report

The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) has submitted an affidavit in the Delhi high court which states that the towers of Signature View Apartment in Mukherjee Nagar — a residential complex that was declared unfit for habitation in November 2022 — are irreparable and need to be demolished.

Signature View Apartment, built over 2.16 acres, was launched in 2007, and the possession of flats started in 2012. (HT Archive)

The MoHUA affidavit, based on a report prepared by a three-member committee, is in line with an Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi) report in November 2022, based on which lieutenant governor VK Saxena asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to vacate and demolish buildings in the complex in January 2023.

However, the high court has stayed the demolition, with the next date of hearing in the case scheduled for May 23.

Signature View Apartment, built over 2.16 acres, was launched in 2007, and the possession of flats started in 2012. The complex has 12 towers of 12 and six floors, with a total of 336 HIG and MIG flats. According to residents, the buildings started showing signs of degradation from the first year of inhabitation.

LG Saxena in January 2023 asked DDA to vacate and dismantle the apartment complex, and after several rounds of meetings with residents, DDA offered to pay rentals for three years, or to buy back the flats from the owners, while it would dismantle and reconstruct the society with some additional EWS flats, as per current norms.

As part of the agreement, DDA gave the residents time till November 30, 2023 to evacuate the premises. However, a group of nine residents approached the high court against the timeline, and the court asked DDA to halt any coercive action against the appellants till the matter was decided, and asked MoHUA to submit its observations regarding the structural strength of the buildings.

MoHUA, in an affidavit submitted in court ahead of the last hearing on April 22, stated that it had formed a three-member committee — Rajib Chowdhury from IIT-Delhi, CPWD chief engineer Nagendra Prasad, and Daljeet Singh from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) — based on the court’s instructions to consult structural experts.

“After the visual inspection of all 12 blocks by the committee members, they came to the conclusion that the report and recommendation submitted by IIT Delhi on November 19, 2022, is satisfactory. It is submitted that it is not possible to carry out any repair work in the building. Buildings are not habitable due to significant distress observed. The buildings are structurally unsafe as corrosion in almost all structural members has been developed significantly,” the affidavit said, a copy of which HT has seen.

It further mentioned that the committee members carried out a visual inspection of all 12 blocks of Signature View Apartments on April 4 before submitting their observations. The affidavit added that the committee’s recommendations were examined by MoHUA, which agreed with its conclusions.

HT reached out to the ministry, but officials there did not comment on the development.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) submitted in court that its actions to issue vacation notice to the residents of the complex was justified. The civic body stated that it had no expertise in assessing the structural condition of the buildings, and had passed the orders after reviewing the report submitted by IIT-Delhi to DDA.

Separately, RWA members have expressed their worry about the safety of residents.

“We have appealed to the court to ensure that DDA starts issuing rent immediately once people start moving out, as it will be difficult for people to pay their rents and EMIs. These buildings are definitely weak... We just want the (demolition) work to begin as soon as possible, keeping in mind the safety of residents,” said RWA member Dharmendra Kumar.