Deadly collapse sparks new evacuation order at Gurugram's Chintels Paradiso

The structural audit report from IIT-Delhi, released on January 5, deemed Tower J of Chintels Paradiso Group Housing Society “unsafe for habitation.”

Gurugram district magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav on Wednesday directed residents of another “unsafe” tower – Tower J – at Chintels Paradiso Society in Sector 109 to vacate their flats within 15 days, citing an IIT-Delhi audit report following a ceiling collapse in Tower D that resulted in the deaths of two women in 2022.

On February 10, 2022, renovations at a sixth-floor flat of Tower D in the society led to the ceiling of a bedroom collapsing, causing a cascading effect in which portions of flats caved in all the way down to the first floor at Chintels Paradiso Society in Gurugram. (HT_PRINT)

According to PTI, Yadav, who also serves as Deputy Commissioner, issued the evacuation order under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, as stated in an official release.

What did the IIT-Delhi audit report say?

The structural audit report from IIT-Delhi, released on January 5, deemed Tower J of Chintels Paradiso Group Housing Society “unsafe for habitation.”

Tower J is one of six towers in the society identified as unsafe in the audit report. The other five towers—D, E, F, G, and H—were already vacated following an April order from DM Yadav, which authorised their demolition.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, the DM issued the evacuation order under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Defence Code in conjunction with Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act due to the imminent risk to life and property for residents of Tower J.

The statement also mentioned that the assistance of police forces may be utilised to enforce the order.

“The matter of payment of compensation by the developer (M/s Chintels India Pvt. Ltd.) to the residents/flat owners is being dealt with separately by the SIT constituted in the case,” the order according to PTI read.

“M/s Chintels India Private Limited has been directed to settle all the claims of all the allottees of Tower-J in a time-bound manner. If anyone is found guilty in disobeying the orders issued, action will be taken under Section 223 of the Indian Justice Code and Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, and other applicable legal provisions,” it added.

Ceiling of Tower D collapsed in 2022

On February 10, 2022, renovations in a sixth-floor flat of Tower D at the Society caused the bedroom ceiling to collapse, leading to a chain reaction where parts of the building caved into the first floor.

This incident, which resulted in the deaths of two residents, prompted the Haryana Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) to order a structural audit of the entire complex.

Based on the IIT-Delhi report, the Gurugram administration determined that five of the nine towers—D, E, F, G, and H—were unsafe and required demolition.

On March 7, the builder submitted a demolition plan to the district administration and sought official approval to demolish the five unsafe towers.

On April 8, the Gurugram district administration granted permission to the Chintels Paradiso developer to demolish these five residential towers, which had been deemed unsafe for habitation, according to officials familiar with the matter.