High-rise safety concern in Gurugram after plaster falls at Sec-106, 107

Chunks of concrete plaster fell from the balconies of two residential complexes, Paras Dews in Sector 106 and Signature Global Solera in Sector 107 of Gurugram

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The safety of high-rise buildings in the city is under scrutiny once again after chunks of plaster fell from the balconies of two residential societies: Paras Dews in Sector 106 and Signature Global Solera in Gurugram’s Sector 107, on Thursday.

This incident has alarmed residents, prompting them to seek urgent action from local authorities, including the district administration and the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

Residents reported several near-misses, narrowly escaping injury from the falling plasters. They have previously expressed concerns about the construction quality and safety of these societies, accusing the builders of ignoring their complaints.

In response to the incidents, a DTCP team inspected the projects and issued a show-cause notice to the builder, demanding an immediate safety survey of the affected units.

A Times of India report quoted District Town Planner (Enforcement) Manish Yadav as saying, “A team visited the housing society revealed that plaster fell from the balconies of at least four flats, which is a serious lapse on the part of the developer. We directed the developer to carry out the survey of group housing vis-à-vis falling of plaster from balconies and other parts of the building along with other maintenance issues within 15 days and attend to the deficiency/ observations noticed during the survey by giving priority to the critical issues.”

Residents’ concern about safety risks

Residents of the Paras Dews in Sector 106 took to X (formerly Twitter) to express concerns over the safety of the residents.

A resident reported that a significant portion of balcony plaster had fallen onto the ground below, posing a serious risk of injury to the families living there. They have called on the builder to rectify this issue promptly and urged the administration to take measures to ensure resident safety.
 

Another Paras Dews resident posted on X, “On February 10, 2022, a floor of a flat in Chintels Paradiso collapsed and two women died. The same incident can happen at any time in Paras Dews in Sector 106. Last night, the floor of the balcony of B-305 flat broke almost in half and fell on B205.”

Investigation launched after plaster fall

A resident of Signature Global Solera in Gurugram took to X and posted, “As soon as the incident took place, we had to call the police and cordoned off the area. The builder has handed over society maintenance to the RWA but not the necessary funds, leaving us helpless to carry out critical repairs.”

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav has initiated an urgent investigation and has fast-tracked a structural assessment of all residential societies within the city.

“We have taken a firm stance on this issue and instructed builders to take immediate steps to ensure safety. Structural safety surveys must be expedited, and appropriate actions will be taken against negligent builders,” Yadav said, as quoted by the report.

Plaster falls from ceiling in Ramprastha City

In June last year, a three-month-old infant narrowly avoided harm when plaster from the ceiling fell into her crib at a Ramprastha City flat in Gurugram. Luckily, at the time of the incident, the baby was asleep on the bed with her mother. No injuries were reported. However, the incident raised questions about the construction quality in the township.