DTCP teams to conduct visual inspection of 60 condominiums

The enforcement wing of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) on Thursday constituted four teams which will carry out the visual inspection of around 60 condominiums in Gurugram after the district administration issued directions last week that structural audit of these condominiums should be carried out in phases.

The visual inspection process, as per DTCP officials, will be completed in the next 15 days and each team has been assigned around 15 condominiums.Manish Yadav, district town planner (enforcement), said that each team will comprise a junior engineer and an expert from the four private consultancies enlisted by the department, which have already carried out structural audits of 16 condominiums earlier.

“These teams have been asked to visit around 60 condominiums and conduct visual inspection of the structures thoroughly. They will inspect the buildings taking into account the complaints lodged by residents and residents’ welfare associations (RWAs). After the inspection, they will submit reports based on which 15 condominiums will be chosen for the next phase of structural audit,” Yadav said.

The Haryana government in March last year had decided to conduct structural audits of around 75 condominiums after the Chintels Paradiso incident on February 10, where two women were killed after six floors of a tower collapsed partially.RWAs and residents of many condominiums in Gurugram have complained to the authorities of structural defects, maintenance issues and similar problems.

As per the district administration, 50% of the cost of structural audit will be borne by the developer and the remaining half by the RWA.
Yadav said the next phase of structural audit will comprise destructive and non-destructing testing as well as chemical analysis of materials used in construction.

As per DTCP officials, the complaints lodged by RWAs pertain to weak structural strength, leakages in expansion joints, waterlogging, seepage, corrosion, poor construction, cracks and similar issues.