Ggm: DTCP notice to 32 developers to survey structural issues

The department of town and country planning (DTCP) issued directives to 32 developers in the city on Friday, urging them to conduct detailed surveys of their group housing societies to identify and address maintenance and structural issues posing safety risks to residents. This direction follows several incidents where chunks of plaster and concrete fell from high-rise buildings, endangering lives.

On Friday morning, a resident of a condominium in Sector 107 was injured when plaster fell on his head while climbing the stairs of A2 tower around 6.30am. Earlier, on Wednesday night, projections along the shaft from three floors fell in Tower C of the same condominium, a resident welfare association’s member said. In another incident on Wednesday, plaster fell from a third-floor balcony in a condominium in Sector 106, alarming residents.

District town planner (enforcement) Manish Yadav said the notice to these 32 developers, who were involved in 28 projects, requires developers to survey their group housing projects within seven days to identify and rectify issues related to structural integrity. Additionally, they are also directed to fix water supply, sewage, drainage, and water stagnation issues. “Developers must take remedial measures as these incidents pose significant danger to residents,” Yadav said.

The DTCP’s notice warned developers of personal responsibility and potential legal action in case of non-compliance. Residents of the affected condominiums expressed concerns about the safety of their complexes and called for immediate action. “On Friday morning, one of the residents got injured after plaster from a staircase fell on his head. The injured, Vikas Dabas, was climbing stairs of A2 tower as the lifts were not working. Similar incident happened around 3.30pm on Friday when plaster fell from stairs of the same tower,” said the apartment owners’ association president Tarun Arora.

Arora further said that projections from the shaft of tower C had fallen on Wednesday night in which large chunks of concrete fell. “We want the developer to take up maintenance work at the earliest so that the lives of residents are not put in danger,” he said.

Addressing the matter, a spokesperson for Signature Global, a developer of one of the affected condominiums, acknowledged the issues, attributing the recent plaster fall to the rainy season. “Signature Global delivered and handed over possession of the society in 2018, and we transferred it to the resident welfare association one and a half months ago. A structural audit has been completed for Solera. We acknowledge the recent unfortunate incident, which involved a small plaster piece falling due to the rainy season. Being a responsible corporate entity, Signature Global is committed to providing the best quality product in all segments and assures that the necessary repair work will be completed within the next few days.”

In a similar incident, Surinder Singh Hooda, a resident of Tower B in a Sector 106 condominium, recounted a similar incident where a large amount of plaster fell from a third-floor balcony onto a second-floor balcony. “When we checked in the morning, the plaster had fallen in large amount, and it could have hurt the occupants if they were present. I live on the first floor underneath these flats, and it is a scary issue,” Hooda added. He said we want the authorities to act on this.

Similarly, yet another incident happened on June 26 in the same tower when the plaster from the balcony of a second-floor apartment fell, Hooda said. “An occupant of this flat had a close call as she had gone inside the room just a few seconds before the plaster fell,” he added.

When asked about the matter, Manish Yadav said that he has taken cognizance of these issues and asked the developers to submit a reply and take remedial measures at the earliest. “Taking a larger view in public interest, we have also directed developers in the city to prevent such incidents focusing on preventive maintenance. It is important that remedial measures are taken otherwise these issues will crop up due to the monsoon rains. We will act in case of a lapse on the developers’ part,” Yadav said.