“Unsafe” 12 towers in Delhi Housing Society; residents have seven days to leave

New Delhi: The inhabitants of Signature View Apartment in Mukherjee Nagar in northwest Delhi have received an eviction notice from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which describes the building as “unfit for human habitation” and requests that they leave.

Constructed between 2007 and 2009, the apartment complex has 336 units of Middle-Income Group (MIG) and High-Income Group (HIG) apartments. Due to construction concerns, the Delhi Development Authority has decided to dismantle the building.
The notification, issued December 18, states that inhabitants must leave the society within seven days because it is unsafe and uninhabitable.
According to the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), they are prepared to go as long as they get rent payments from the authorities while new apartments are being built.
Following citizen concerns about subpar construction, the DDA hired a structural specialist, who recommended demolishing the buildings.
The National Council of Cement and Building Material (NCCBM) was enlisted by the DDA to provide corrective solutions, and an IIT Delhi structural expert was hired based on its suggestions. Samples of building materials were put to the test at the Delhi-based Shri Ram Institute of Industrial Research (SLR).
“According to the structural audit report and DDA communication, the towers of Signature View Apartment are dangerous and unfit for human habitation,” it stated. “The structural consultant suggested that distress in the structure (of the building) appears to be due to chloride in the structure (higher then permissible), which is cause of deterioration of concrete and corrosion of reinforcement.”
The notification said that there have been reports of unsafe conditions and potential hazards for anybody residing in, visiting, or passing by the houses/flats in towers A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and L.
According to RWA President Amrendra Kumar Rakesh, upon eviction, the DDA should refund the rent. “We want the building to be removed as quickly as possible since it is harmful. We need the rent in order to be evicted, but we also want to go,” he stated.
Prior to this, the DDA had promised to cover rent for the occupants of the 336 apartments only if they leave. The RWA asked for permission to reduce the 100% vacation provision to 75%, citing their difficulties to persuade all of the apartment owners to turn in their keys at once.