The Gurugram Police have arrested Mr Amit Austin, the proprietor of Manish Switchgear and Construction, the company commissioned to conduct the repair work that caused the death of two women residing in Chintels Paradiso in Gurugram. The women were killed when the dining room on the 6th floor of Tower D collapsed bringing down with it the roofs and floors of all the flats below. A magisterial inquiry found that the retrofitting in Flat D603 was the key trigger for the collapse, thus holding Chintels India and Manish Switchgear and Construction responsible for the accident. Mr Austin will be produced in a city court in the coming week.
The Gurugram Police have finally arrested Mr Amit Austin, the proprietor of Manish Switchgear and Construction, the company commissioned to conduct the repair work that caused the death of two women residing in Chintels Paradiso in Gurugram. The women were killed when the dining room on the 6th floor of Tower D collapsed bringing down with it the roofs and floors of all the flats below it. A magisterial inquiry found that the retrofitting in Flat D603 was the key trigger for the collapse, thus holding Chintels India and Manish Switchgear and Construction responsible for the accident. Mr Austin will be produced in a city court in the coming week.
In February after the horrific accident, residents of the Chintels Paradiso Condominium located in Sector 109, Gurugram appealed to the Supreme Court seeking compensation, rehabilitation, and an independent structural audit. They urged the Court to take strict action against the developer and other stakeholders responsible for the construction and repair of the towers. The entire complex hosts over 180 families. Tower D which witnessed the collapse was an 18-storey building with 50 flats. As a result, the Supreme Court ordered a probe to be conducted by a team of experts from IIT-Delhi to conduct a structural audit.
The report submitted stated that the auditors found structural deficiencies in the construction of the towers. According to the findings, experts suggested that retrofitting or repairing of the tower would not be possible on technical and economic grounds. Retrofitting is the process of changing or repairing something after it has been manufactured. It entails modifications and repairs to the structural system. Other notable mentions in the report include a high presence of chloride in the concrete and visible signs of distress in Towers E & F such sagging in balconies and flats. Repair work conducted was also faulty as it did not follow the requisite standards and corroded steel was used as reinforcement which had been painted over as a cover up. Based on the submitted report, a demolition order was issued. All 28 families residing in Tower D were given between Rs 25,000/- to Rs 37,00/- per month as compensation until the structure is reconstructed.
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