DC meets residents of Chintels, agrees to re-examine flat valuation

The valuation of apartments will be re-examined after adjusting the overhead expenses such as stamp duty, EDC-IDC and expenditure on electricity arrangements, etc

District deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav held a meeting with the residents of Tower D, E and F of Chintels Paradiso condominium in Sector 109 on Friday and discussed with them the alternative accommodation arrangements made for them and also residents’ concerns regarding the flat valuation..

A view of the rubble seen after few floors collapsed inside an apartment building at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 in Gurugram in February. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

On Wednesday, Yadav had said the Gurugram authorities have carried out a valuation of each apartment based on the current market value, cost of interior work, and size of the apartment, and the builder will reimburse that cost to flat owners. However, residents expressed disappointment with the DC’s order and valuation and said they will approach the court if a re-evaluation is not announced.

Sonam Arora, treasurer of the Chintels RWA, said the evaluator has made the registry the basis for determining the monetary value of each flat, while other expenses such as stamp duty, IDC and EDC (external and internal development charges) and ₹5 lakh per flat for electricity supply have been ignored. “We have requested the DC to factor in these amounts as well and then recalculate the value of each apartment, going by the present value of apartments in the area,” she said.

Yadav said as suggested by residents, the valuation of apartments will be re-examined after adjusting the overhead expenses such as stamp duty, EDC-IDC, expenditure on electricity arrangements, etc.

On Wednesday, Yadav had also ordered the demolition of Tower D of Chintels Paradiso and the settling of all dues of flat owners within a period of 60 days. Further, Towers E and F are to be vacated, and the structural audit report of these two buildings will be released within 20 days, based on which the DC will take a decision the fate of those towers.

“The developer has been asked to settle all dues with flat owners of Tower D within 60 days from the date of issue of order. If the developer does not settle within this period, then action will be taken against him, but on the request of flat owners, a time extension can be considered,” he said.

Yadav also said the developer will hold a separate meeting with Tower D owners regarding the compensation. The representatives of builder, who attended the meeting, agreed to start the process. If there is no agreement on compensation between the builder and the flat owners, then the “base value” of compensation will be fixed as per the report of the evaluator,, which means that the builder must pay at least that amount to the flat owner, said Yadav.

DC also asked the residents to retrieve their belongings from Tower D. “Till the time the issue of payment of compensation to flat owners is not settled by the builder, the flat owners are entitled to collect a rent from him,” he said.

On February 10, renovations in a sixth-floor condominium in Tower D led to the ceiling of a bedroom collapsing, resulting in a cascade effect with portions of flats below it caving in, all the way down to the first floor. Two people died in the incident and the tower was declared as condemned, with the district authorities later ordering its demolition. The residents were shifted to other towers, said officials.

Apart from this, the deputy commissioner also said as per the report of IIT-Delhi, it would be appropriate to vacate Tower E and F also, regarding which the district town planner has also issued orders on Thursday.

He said the sampling from the both these towers has been done and the report is expected in the next 15-20 days. Yadav also said that all nine towers of the society will be structurally audited.

Regarding towers E and F, Yadav said residents living in these towers should be transferred free of cost to a developed project or elsewhere and a rent agreement executed with them. He clarified that both flat owners and tenants will have to be included in the rehabilitation plan.

Yadav further said a copy of investigation report has been sent to police for further action.

The DC also said of the applications for structural audit received from other residential societies in the city, the audit reports of 16 societies are expected by the end of the month. “After that, the other societies will be audited,” he said.

Amit Madholia, DTP (enforcement), said after the incident at Chintel Paradiso, the town and country planning department, Haryana, has prepared a draft policy in which structural audit has been made a part of the process for granting occupancy certificate.

“By doing this, such incidents may be averted in the future,” he said.

“We are cooperating with the government authorities and affected residents and will continue to do so,” said a Chintels spokesperson on Friday.