Builder held for inferior construction

[tinesha]

Builder held for inferior construction
GK Owner Had Gone To Court
Dwaipayan Ghosh | TNN

New Delhi: The Economic Offences Wing of the crime branch arrested a builder, Avdesh Mittal, on Friday after investigations showed that the concrete used in construction of a five-storeyed building in the M Block market road in Greater Kailash-I was of poor quality and the structure can collapse in case of a major earthquake. The demolition of the structure, which was constructed in 2006, had been a bone of contention between the owner and the builder with the property owner wanting the structure to be razed because of the “inferior quality material” allegedly used by the builder in the construction, which resulted in seepage that caused cracks in the building.

It was only after two years and a trial court’s stricture asking the police to take necessary action in the matter as the structure posed “probable danger” to the people living near it, that the EOW of Delhi Police was spurred into action and arrested Mittal, a resident of Greater Kailash-I, who is also the first person arrested in the case. The arrest comes days after Japan witnessed a devastating earthquake and tremors from Hindukush caused panic among Delhiites. Police said one N K Chauhan —the structural engineer who gave the certificate for the building —will be arrested soon.

“During interrogation, Chauhan admitted that he had neither supervised the construction, nor inspected the building, and had issued a certificate on Mittal’s request, whom he claimed was his friend,” said an investigating officer from EOW.

Referring to the recent incident of building collapse in Laxmi Nagar, the court had earlier asked the state government to do the needful in the case as the “danger of the construction (GK I building) is of a similar nature”. Furthermore, the building is situated in a thickly populated urban colony.

The court’s order came while hearing the complaint of one Rajender Chhabra, who claimed that he had entered into an agreement in 2005 with a real estate company and its three directors for getting a house constructed on his 500 square yard plot. He claimed that he had entered into a business deal with the company for building a strong, earthquakeproof, three-storeyed house.

He, however, moved the court in 2008 alleging that the builders were cheating him by using poor quality material. He also claimed that he had got the building examined by a private body (ATES), which had opined that the material used was of very inferior quality and the building was earthquake-prone. The report concluded that the building should be immediately demolished to avoid any mishap.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... y-material

[sendtomanish]

Can somebody suggest that who is certifying authority for builder to claim that building is earthquake resistance?

The builder in Neharpar claims in brochure that building is earth quake resistant,can we demand certain proof from them when they offer possession?

Also, since there is no 3rd party quality check from government/STP for inferior quality material and it is architect job or builder engineer to give certificate, can we demand copy of that from builder??
This questions is applicable for all projects in Neharpar,can someone suggest please?

[webmaster]

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police arrested a 50-year-old builder for allegedly using forged documents to pass off a multi-storey commercial building, constructed with faulty material, as structurally safe in southeast Delhi’s Greater Kailash part I on Friday. “The said five-floor structure is located at the E block in GK Part I. The plot’s owner, who wanted to rent it out to a private bank, had approached the arrested builder, identified as Avdesh Mittal, to commence construction in 2005,” said a senior police officer from the EOW, requesting anonymity. Sources said not only had Mittal used forged documents to inflate the cost of construction, but had also bribed a structural engineer to obtain a forged safety certificate.

“Since the plot’s owner desired that the building be rented out to a bank, he had specifically asked Mittal to ensure that it was earthquake proof — a precondition for any property from where a banking operation can be operated. Investigation revealed not only had Mittal inflated the cost of construction but also bribed an engineer Rs10,000 to procure a forged safety certificate,” the officer said.

Mittal’s bluff was called when residents staying in the immediate vicinity of the said building approached its owner with doubts regarding its safety.

“The building was visibly unsafe; it had developed cracks and the locality’s residents, terrified at the prospect of it falling on their own homes, approached its owner and asked him to get it examined. However, not only did Mittal disallow the owner from entering the building — he procured forged documents from the MCD to ward off the local police when the mater was reported to them,” said the officer.

According to police, the matter was reported to them in 2008 and subsequently transferred to the EOW. “When Mittal’s culpability was established and the matter went to court, a private firm was roped in to assess its structural safety. After the 15-day assessment, not only was the structure declared non-earthquake-proof but even unfit for habitation,” the officer said.

Confirming the incident, additional commissioner of police (EOW) Vivek Gogia said, “Avdesh Mittal was arrested last evening and we are investigating the matter.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Builder-h ... 78030.aspx

[webmaster]

Can somebody suggest that who is certifying authority for builder to claim that building is earthquake resistance?

The builder in Neharpar claims in brochure that building is earth quake resistant,can we demand certain proof from them when they offer possession?

Also, since there is no 3rd party quality check from government/STP for inferior quality material and it is architect job or builder engineer to give certificate, can we demand copy of that from builder??
This questions is applicable for all projects in Neharpar,can someone suggest please?

Manish, for your question, what we understood from our last meeting with STP and DTP officials, there is no authority which certifies a project for construction quality. DTCP issues necessary completion or occupancy certificate to builder based on only the project's site engineer clearance.

[vinitanandwani]

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