Developers to pay for structural audit in Gurugram: DTCP

Amit Madholia, district town planner, enforcement said that detailed planning has been carried out to complete the structural audit of proposed 60 condominiums in three to four phases. The first phase of the audit will be completed in the next 45 days

The department of town and country planning (DTCP) on Thursday said that the cost of the proposed structural audit has been fixed between ₹1.50- ₹2 per square foot depending on the project area under inspection, and it will be paid by the developers.

In the first phase of the structural audit, detailed visual inspection of the towers and floors will be conducted and proper videography and photography of the area under inspection will be carried out. (Representative image/HT Archive)

In the first phase of the structural audit, detailed visual inspection of the towers and floors will be conducted and proper videography and photography of the area under inspection will be carried out. The opening meetings for this purpose will commence next week after the work order is released on Monday, said DTCP officials.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, the district administration and town planning department had held a meeting with developers and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) of 17 projects, where the structural audit will commence from next week.

The work order for this process will be issued from Monday onwards to the four firms– Bureau Veritas, NNC Design International, Vintech Consultants, and TPC Projects Consultants Private Limited--that have been enlisted for carrying out this exercise.

In phase one of the visual structural audit of buildings, detailed floor wise physical observation of each tower will be done to assess the present condition. The area under investigation which is in critical condition will be highlighted and videography of structural distress and other issues will be carried out, according to the standard operating procedure finalised by the district committee.

Madholia said that after thorough visual inspection, a detailed audit report in two parts will be submitted covering structural issues and non-structural issues. “If any distress is found in structural elements then the experts will make necessary recommendations for non-destructive testing that will be carried out to assess the structures,” he said.

In case, the recommendations are made regarding non-structural issues, then the experts will make recommendations for redial measures that would be carried out.

The initial procedure adopted includes that representatives of enlisted firms will hold meetings with developers, RWAs and explain to them the framework of the audit.

The experts will also study and verify the documents and drawings and finally a closing meeting will be held at the site. The final step would be the submission of reports and observations.

Nishant Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram on Wednesday had asked the RWAs and developers to co-operate with technical teams so that this exercise can be completed on time.

Meanwhile, Pravin Malik, president, SARE Home RWA, said that the structural audit should go beyond visual inspections and focus on destructive and non-destructive testing that will ensure the right conclusions. “Both the structural and architectural aspects of the buildings should be analysed and recommendations made thereafter. We will conduct our own audit involving independent experts,” he said.

A spokesperson for a developer, who wished anonymity said that they will cooperate with the technical teams but said that this exercise should not be used to leverage undue influence.

Earlier this year, the Haryana government had recommended the structural audit of 60 condominiums on the basis of multiple complaints lodged by residents and RWAs regarding poor construction quality, structural issues and maintenance in the last two years. The issue assumed significance after six floors of a tower at Chintels Paradiso partially collapsed on February 10 this year.

In the first phase, the structural audit will be carried out in 17 condominiums–Dwarkadish Buildwell (Antriksh Heights), Brisk Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (Brisk Lumbini sector), Central Park (Central Park), M3M (M3M Woodshire), Mapsko Ltd (Mapsko Casabella), (Mapsko Paradise), (Mapsko Royal), Paras Buildtech (Paras Irene), DLF Universal Ltd.(Park Place), Raheja Developers (Raheja Atharva), (Raheja Vedanta), Signature Global Pvt Ltd (Signature Global Solera), Spaze Tower Pvt Ltd (Spaze Privy), Advance India Pvt Ltd (The Peaceful Homes), Tulip Infratech Pvt Ltd (Tulip Ivory), Ms Unitech Ltd (Uniworld Garden II), Mahindra Lifespaces Aura Ltd (Mahindra Aura).