 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Days after several houses at Chintels Paradiso Gurugram collapsed, the department of town and country planning has declared four more apartment towers unfit for living, leaving many residents in limbo.
Gurugram district's town and country planner R S Bhath, who is currently stationed in the society to oversee the repair and rehabilitation work, conducted a survey and declared towers E, F, G and H unfit for living.
In some houses, the iron roads in ceilings are entirely visible. In others, plaster is falling and there are big cracks. The residents have been asked to shift to alternative accommodations, officials said.
Bhath said the cost of rehabilitation of these families will be borne by the builder of Chintels Paradiso.
The decision has triggered panic among the residents of 200 flats in these towers and left them in a situation of uncertainty.
"Where do we go suddenly? My child has his board exams coming up and is already traumatised by the collapse of Tower D. Now where do we find a new place at such short notice?" asked Saloni, a resident of Tower E.
"My flat has developed cracks and we lay awake each night after the collapse, scared of dying. I have spent Rs 40 lakh on furniture and interiors, how can I just go. We are ruined," said Seema, who lives on the sixth floor in Tower F.
The residents claimed that people from Tower D, where the houses collapsed on February 10, are camping like refugees and asked how others will be accommodated.
Bhath said the builder will bear the cost for the rehabilitation of these families.
"We have shifted almost everyone. These families too will be rehabilitated and the cost will be borne by the builder. The repairs are in full swing," he said.
Two women were killed in the February 10 collapse at Chintels Paradiso. The dining room floor of a sixth-floor apartment came down first, triggering the collapse of roofs and floors directly under it till the first floor, according to officials.