RP Mehrotra, former government director at Engineers India Limited, spent Rs 1.38 crore in 2018 to transfer into his four-bedroom flat on the NBCC Green View group housing mission in Gurugram’s Sector 37D after his retirement. But his dream to spend his retired life in his cherished dwelling along with his household changed into a nightmare quickly.
The Gurugram administration this week directed the residents of NBCC Green View to vacate the constructing by March 1 as it’s unsafe to stay in. A helpless Mehrotra mentioned, “I’ve invested all my financial savings in that home to keep after retirement. But I don’t have the braveness to keep there and danger my life.” There are hundreds like Mehrotra, especially retired officials, who spent crores to buy a flat in NBCC Green View in Gurugram but now have virtually nowhere to go.
The sprawling 18-acre housing project of National Buildings Construction Corporation (India) Limited, a blue-chip Government of India Navratna enterprise, was completed in 2017. The society has over 900 flats, including 139 reserved for the economically weaker sections. So far, around 260 flats have been sold. More than 100 families are residing in the society now.
Within a few months of moving in, residents said they started noticing large cracks appearing on the walls and floors. The moulding tiles in the living rooms had come off for many. The walls of the flats have started exposing the iron rod beneath them and the plasters peeled off.
Anup Bhatnagar, who started living in NBCC Green View in 2018, said, “I noticed a serious deflection on the floor in my bedroom within the first few months. It was like a slope on the floor.” And this saved on growing every day, he added. “I’ve contacted NBCC a number of instances to repair this however they haven’t replied to any of the mails.”
The three-bedroom flat cost Bhatnagar around Rs 70 lakh. To buy this property, he took a loan and has to pay a monthly instalment of Rs 50,000. With an eviction notice to vacate the flat in two weeks, the private sector employee has been having “sleepless nights” fascinated with the long run.
‘We Feel Cheated’
The residents mentioned they trusted NBCC with their hard-earned cash and now really feel cheated. “I paid round Rs 70 lakh to get a flat in NBCC Green View eight years in the past. In Gurugram, there have been many choices that have been far cheaper. We selected NBCC as a result of it was a Government of India PSU, with a tagline of Navratna. We didn’t thoughts paying that additional bit at the moment. We typically hear tales about personal builders dishonest or creating poor high quality homes and this was the rationale we trusted NBCC,” said Basab Dasgupta, another resident. “Now look at us, we feel cheated.”
The “unsafe” condition of Green View came into focus after multiple ceilings collapsed in another society in Gurugram — Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 — killing two people this month. According to the recommendations of IIT Delhi, the developer had sent the first eviction notice in October last year to vacate the flats by November 10. The residents said that NBCC officials have adopted an “inhumane and inconsiderate” angle. They have threatened to lower off important companies like electrical energy and water for months. they added. “We have been dwelling in shoddily constructed flats for years now. These constructions are past restore now. NBCC didn’t pay heed to any of our complaints earlier. Now they’re afraid after the Chintels Paradiso incident that they could have to take duty if something occurs to us. But they’re utterly inhumane folks. They don’t care about our lives. Instead of our demand for a refund, they’re serving us notices to vacate our homes,” said a G Mohanty, president, association of apartment owners and former CBI spokesperson.
‘NBCC does not Care About our Safety’
When residents started witnessing large cracks and deflections in the buildings, they approached the developers. With no immediate action plan or guidance from them, the buyers knocked on the doors of the union ministry of housing and urban affairs. They also filed a complaint with the central vigilance commission for a probe. The two-year-old report by the commission pointed out poor planning and quality of concrete used during construction, the residents said. The firefighting system in the society is not functional. The electric substation has been constructed in the basement, below 1.6 metres of the groundwater table, resulting in perpetual flooding, which is dangerous for the life and property of a resident. “Had safety been the concern of the company, they would have acted promptly on the numerous complaints,” Mohanty added.
“Expert committee is analyzing the explanations for such untimely deterioration of buildings, and it is going to be identified solely on receipt of skilled committee report. The points with regard to contractors and staff concerned in the development is below investigation and it is going to be introduced to its logical conclusion. NBCC is totally dedicated to the well-being of its prospects and standing firmly with them in this hour of disaster,” NBCC instructed News18.com.
Residents Seek Full Refund
Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, had earlier said that all families residing in the society had been asked to vacate by March 1, considering the safety concerns. He directed NBCC to provide alternative accommodation to the residents until they carry out the repairs. The developers will also bear the cost of transportation, shifting, and rentals. He also directed that the families living in the society will get a refund from NBCC. “There is no clarity or a proper action plan from NBCC. We don’t know what will happen after six months. What if the builder does not give us a refund after six months?” Bhatnagar requested.
Residents need a full refund with 15 per cent curiosity and value incurred by them on inside work, registration prices, stamp obligation, and token compensation for the agony and ache that they had undergone in the previous 4 years. “Due to inhabitable flats, our demand for a refund of cash with curiosity is pending for greater than a 12 months now. It is disappointing to notice that DC Gurugram has directed NBCC to refund cash to 25 odd residents solely, and never the over 160 homeowners of NBCC Green View, 37D complicated. We demand speedy justice,” mentioned Dasgupta.
