'Chintels Paradiso Towers are Unsafe for Residential Habitation', says CBRI

The last of Chintels Paradiso's towers to be inspected for structural flaws was declared unsafe for habitation on Monday, closing a 34-month loop that saw all nine residential towers of the condominium where flats sold for a range of Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore when it went on the market in 2012.

In its latest report, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has found that Tower B has severe structural flaws, including widespread cracks, corroded reinforcement bars, and substandard concrete. These findings are similar to those in the other towers.

After the cave-in, Tower D was evacuated. Over time, the other towers followed, a slow but certain progression, as tower after tower was found to share the same flaws.

The structural assessments of Paradiso's towers began after a vertical collapse of living rooms of flats across five floors in Tower D on February 10, 2022, resulted in the deaths of two residents, which was followed by days of protests on the compound, with residents accusing the developer of not responding promptly to concerns like sagging balconies they had raised.

Santosh Vasudevan, lives in B-304, had a different opinion. Given the current state of affairs resulting from the tower's deemed unfit, our demand is unambiguous and uncompromising. We demand that the builder rebuild and build a house of the same size at the same location, and that the builder pay rent at the market rate from the date of vacation until the possession of the newly built apartment.