Structural safety guidelines prescribe 3-4 audits during construction: Khattar

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday released the structural safety guidelines, which developers have to follow during construction of high-rise projects in the state, at the concluding session of the Sewocon before addressing the gathering of RWA members

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday released the structural safety guidelines, which developers have to follow during construction of high-rise projects in the state, at the concluding session of the Sewocon before addressing the gathering of RWA members.

Gurugram, India - February 14, 2022: A view of the rubble seen after few floors collapsed inside an apartment building at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 in Gurugram, India, on Monday, February 14, 2022. (Photo by Vipin Kumar / Hindustan Times) (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

Khattar said according to the new guidelines, the developer will have to ensure structural audit of the project at least three to four times during the construction phase. “The issues related to structural audit and several other issues were discussed in detail with developers in February. The structural issues have come to the fore after the mishap at Chintels Paradiso,” said the CM.

Following the collapse of multiple floors in Chintels Paradiso on February 10, the state government announced that structural audit of at least 60 projects in Gurugram will be conducted in phases after many residents complained of structural issues in their housing societies.

According to the new structural safety guidelines, the department of town and country planning (DTCP) has prescribed that structural engineers and supervision engineers be empanelled by the department after a thorough background check of their qualifications and skills. The guidelines have also prescribed the eligibility and experience of experts, who seek empanelment with the department.

The guidelines also suggest that inspection agencies engaged in structural design and safety should be empaneled to ensure quality of material being used, construction practices at the site adhere to the building and construction code prescribed by the government. It also recommended empaneling ‘fact finding agency’, whose role will be to probe the multiple complaints of flat owners and RWAs with regard to maintenance issues, construction related problems and structural faults in a building. The agency will clarify within 15 days whether it is a maintenance or construction related issue, said officials.

All designs and service plans of the project will have to be handed over to the RWA by the developer to ensure proper maintenance of services, said the guidelines.

Navdeep Sardana, chairman and managing director of Whiteland Corporation, a Gurugram based developer, said, “Structural audits are very important to ensure the safety and security of buildings and the residents. We completely support the government in this endeavour as it is beneficial for both the developers as well as the buyers.”