Chintels Paradiso residents brace for tower demolition

When you walk into a flat at Chintels Paradiso, in Gurugram’s Sector 109, it is not uncommon to find steel bars propping up the roof or the balcony.

Nine high-rises, adorned by vast green spaces, basketball and tennis courts, a swimming pool, a clubhouse, with a fleet of expensive sedans in the parking lot – Chintels Paradiso comes across as the perfect residence for an aspirational upper middle class family. But take a closer look, past the facade, and you see the crumbling walls, the sagging balconies, and the eerie silence that engulfs the society.

Ram Krishan Rana is a man in his 60s, with laugh creases all over his face. A farmer in Gurugram’s Bajghera village, he prefers sitting on the floor to sitting on a sofa, because he believes it helps him with “earthing” his energy.

However, nowadays Rana is a man who rarely smiles. He has a four-bedroom flat in Tower D of Chintels Paradiso, which is slated to be demolished by the district authorities after the ceilings of six floors of the condominium collapsed partially on February 10, killing two residents.

“My house is on the 18th floor of Tower D, but after the incident, when the authorities ordered its evacuation, the builder moved us to a temporary flat in Tower A. Now my family is living out of suitcases. Some of our possessions are here with us in Tower A, some still in Tower D, and some are scattered at our relatives’ residences. We are living a temporary existence, as we don’t know what will come next,” he said.

On Wednesday, Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav issued an order directing the demolition of Tower D, and the settling of all dues of flat owners within 60 days. “An evaluation report has been prepared and depending on the size of the apartment the residents will get 1.5-2 crore if they are willing to sell back to the developer,” he said at a press conference.

Yadav’s order further states that Towers E and F are to be vacated, and a structural audit report for these two buildings will be released within 20 days, based on which the administration will take a further decision.

After the DC’s order was passed, JN Yadav, vice president of Chintels, the developer, said, “We are cooperating with government authorities and affected residents and will continue to do so.”

However, with the impending demolition of at least one tower looming over their heads, many residents of the society feel unsure of the future.

Sonam Arora, treasurer of the society’s RWA, said the administration will have to consider the present value of the area and apartments before forcing any decision on them. “Residents have been shifted to other apartments but there is no formal agreement signed until now.”

Rajendra Vatsa, who moved to the society in November 2021, said he poured his entire retirement fund into purchasing a flat in the society. “My flat is in Tower H and all the balconies are propped up with iron supports. But at least I live in my flat, so I know exactly what state it is in. The biggest risk to the tower is the great number of unoccupied flats, where we don’t even know what the structural damage has been.”

Manoj Singh, who has a flat on the seventh floor of Tower G, said he chose to buy a house in the society because of its location and facilities. “But they messed up with the construction, and now we may have to pay with our lives,” he said.

Sandeep Barsaiyan, another resident, says most residents want adequate financial compensation or alternate flats from the builder.

“When we bought our flat, it cost 6,500 per square foot. Now, because of the collapse in Tower D, our flats are worthless, but flats at nearby projects are selling for 13,500-14,500 per square foot, and they are getting possession after four years. We demand that the builder at least pay us that much, so that we don’t face losses. Alternatively, the builder can allot us similarly-priced accommodation,” he said.

SK Singh, a resident of Tower C, said, “The government and the builder say that my tower is safe, but that is also what they said about Tower D before the collapse. The staircase on the third floor of my tower has sagged by about 3 inches.”