GDA to redevelop three residential towers in Vaishali

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has plans to redevelop three residential high-rise towers of Alaknanda, Mandakini, and Satluj in its Vaishali Housing Scheme, officials said on Wednesday

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has plans to redevelop three residential high-rise towers of Alaknanda, Mandakini, and Satluj in its Vaishali Housing Scheme, officials said on Wednesday.

There had been a lot of complaints by residents to the GDA for the past several years, and the buildings have structural issues, a senior official told HT. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to GDA officials, the Alaknanda and Mandakini towers have 79 flats each, while the Satluj tower has 160 flats. Each of the three towers is 10-storeyed, but their flats have become unsafe for living due to the building’s dilapidated condition, they added.

Notably, the Authority constructed the towers in 1990.

Talking to HT GDA secretary Vivek Mishra said, “The GDA is now considering redeveloping the three towers—Alaknanda, Mandakini, and Satluj. There had been a lot of complaints by residents for the past several years, and the buildings have structural issues. As a result, the authority has decided that it will take up redevelopment.”

He said earlier this year, the state government also issued an order that detailed how the redevelopment works could be taken up. “So, based on this policy, the authority has decided to go for redevelopment, and a committee of officials is also formed to chalk out modalities and steps to be taken further,” the GDA secretary added.

The authority, in April 2019, had assigned a survey to assess the structural safety of the two buildings from the civil engineering department of the Jamia Millia Islamia. Its report said that the towers were “structurally stable” but needed “reinforcement at some points”, said officials.

According to GDA’s media coordinator Rudresh Shukla, since many years passed and no actions could proceed, the GDA has now decided that the redevelopment would be a better option than spending funds on other methods like retrofitting among others.

“Since there is a policy in place for the redevelopment, it would be a better option. The Alaknanda and Mandakini towers have occupancy while the Satluj tower is not occupied now due to the building’s condition. The committee of officials will now proceed with next steps. We have also written to the Ghaziabad municipal corporation to take up the process to officially declare the three towers as dilapidated,” he told HT.

Flat owners of the towers, meanwhile, said that their flats and building are in a bad state.

“We have been raising the issues for almost past 5-10 years. Many residents, including myself, have moved to other locations as a result of the condition of the building. Several flats also remained unsold in these towers after the GDA started giving possession in 1998,” said Amit Kumar, a flat owner of Alaknanda tower.