The 'Deadly Collapse' in Chintels Paradiso led to a new 'Evacuation Order' by the Delhi Govt

The district magistrate of Gurugram, Nishant Kumar Yadav, issued instructions on Wednesday for the residents of Tower J in Chintels Paradiso Society located in Sector 109 to vacate their apartments within a period of 15 days due to safety concerns.

This decision was taken based on an audit report conducted by IIT-Delhi after the ceiling collapse incident at Tower D that claimed two lives back in 2022.

According to PTI, Yadav, who holds the position of Deputy Commissioner, issued the evacuation order citing Section 163 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, as outlined in an official statement. 

The structural audit report from IIT-Delhi, published on January 5, declared Tower J of Chintels Paradiso Group Housing Society unsuitable for occupancy.

Among the six towers assessed in the society, Tower J is one identified as unsafe in the audit report. Earlier, towers D, E, F, G, and H had been vacated pursuant to an April directive from DM Yadav, authorizing their demolition.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, the DM issued the evacuation order for Tower J under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Defence Code and Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, citing the imminent threat to the safety of residents and their property.

According to PTI, the order stated, "The issue of compensation payment by the developer (M/s Chintels India Pvt. Ltd.) to the residents/flat owners is being handled separately by the SIT formed for the case."

Following renovations on February 10, 2022, in a sixth-floor flat of Tower D within the Society, the bedroom ceiling collapsed, triggering a chain reaction that caused sections of the building to collapse onto the first floor.

As a result of this incident, which tragically claimed the lives of two residents, the Haryana Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) mandated a comprehensive structural audit of the entire complex.

According to the IIT-Delhi report, the Gurugram administration concluded that five out of the nine towers—D, E, F, G, and H—were unsafe and needed to be demolished.

Subsequently, on March 7, the builder submitted a demolition proposal to the district administration and requested formal approval to proceed with demolishing the five unsafe towers.