A high-level committee of additional CEO-level officials of all three authorities in Gautam Budh Nagar has been formed to frame a structural audit policy for highrises in the district. Suggestions from developers have been taken and will be incorporated into the policy, officials said. A panel of reputed institutions like CBRI, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Roorkee will most likely be formed for getting the audit done.
In fact, the three authorities – Noida, YEIDA and GNIDA – had earlier passed a resolution at their respective board meetings to form the joint committee for framing norms of the structural audit policy, a first of its kind in the state.
Noida CEO Ritu Maheshwari said the panel would soon hold a discussion on this. “Once the policy is formed, it will be presented before the board. Once approved, it will be sent to the government.”
“Under the policy, a structural audit of societies will be conducted every five years. The developer concerned will have to submit a structural audit report while applying for the completion certificate (CC) of a new project. The report will be valid for five years. During this period, the developer would be held responsible in case any structural issues surface,” said another official.
“Afterwards, the apartment owners association of the society will have to get the structural audit done and submit its report to the Authority. The cost of the audit and subsequent strengthening, if required, would be borne by residents,” the official said.
At present, developers submit a certificate from a structural engineer of a notified firm about the design and materials to be used in a project for seeking approval of the map. After completion of the project, when developers apply for the CC, they once again submit a certificate stating that the norms mentioned during the map approval have been complied with.
However, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India’s (CREDAI) NCR chapter has termed the move a “kneejerk” reaction after the Chintels Paradiso incident in Gurgaon in February this year, saying “there are already safeguards in place”.
CREDAI-NCR secretary Pankaj Goel said, “It’s a classic case of over-reaction. Safeguards are already in place. The policy should not be decided just on public sentiment, there is not a single case of structural issue in a society in Noida. One should not confuse cracks in plaster and seepage with structural issues, as they are not the same.”
However, residents’ bodies have welcomed the move. “Builders cannot be let off for the poor quality of buildings. The certificates for obtaining map approval and CC can be easily made from institutions,” said Abhishek Kumar, president of Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association.
