4 years after deadly Chintels collapse, 370 Gurgaon owners finally get a roadmap

At 7.20 pm on February 10, 2022, Devendra Kumar thought an earthquake had hit his home at Chintels Paradiso in Gurgaon's Sector 109. The walls shook, dust filled his flat and he ran downstairs. It was not an earthquake. A portion of a sixth-floor flat in his tower had collapsed due to unauthorised renovation, killing two women.

“I heard a loud thud and thought it was an earthquake. Within seconds, thick dust from falling debris blinded everything. I ran downstairs in sheer panic,” Kumar, a retired public sector bank official, recalled. Four-and-a-half years later, Kumar (65) and around 370 homebuyers finally have a way forward.

The Supreme Court has approved a settlement under which real estate company Sobha Limited will redevelop Phase II of Chintels Paradiso into an ultra luxury complex. The SC order, dated September 3 and uploaded on Friday, defines a roadmap for the residents to return to their homes, though they will have to move out before the redevelopment work can begin.

In all, nine towers in the society are to be redeveloped. For Kumar and many other families, the road to this settlement has been long. A portion of a sixth floor living room in Tower D of the society gave way during unauthorised renovation on February 10, 2022, killing two residents.

A subsequent IIT Delhi audit found severe corrosion in the reinforcement steel because of high chloride levels in the concrete. Five towers in Phase I – D, E, F, G and H – were declared unsafe and have since been demolished by the developer, Chintels India Private Limited (CIPL).

In the immediate aftermath of the collapse, families were housed in the club house and the developer arranged meals for 15 days. As more towers were declared unsafe, residents had to move out of their homes, with some shifting between temporary accommodations and flats within the society.

The legal battle over the project dragged on. Under earlier court-monitored options, CIPL offered to the residents a buyback rate of Rs 6,500 per sq ft, alongside interior costs and shifting charges, or reconstruction. Of the 532 flats in the society, 196 owners accepted the buyback offer and left.

The remaining around 370 owners chose to stay on, including 164 who had signed redevelopment agreements and 172 who had earlier held out. They will now be covered by the SC plan, while retaining the option of negotiating a buyback if they wish to.

Kumar had sold his house in Dwarka and put his lifetime savings, along with a bank loan, into his three-bedroom flat he bought for Rs 1.15 crore in 2019. He had specifically chosen a resale unit because he wanted a ready-to-move-in home.

“When I bought the flat, I thought I was buying a home where I could settle down… Instead, I have spent years shifting from one flat to another. Every time another tower was declared unsafe, we had to move again,” he said.

The uncertainty also disrupted his son’s wedding plans. “My son was 32 then. The prospective bride’s family was worried where the couple would live after the wedding. There was so much uncertainty. We finally had the wedding in December the same year,” he said.

Existing homeowners will pay Rs 1,000 per sq ft towards construction, with the court barring any additional or hidden financial burden. In return, Sobha will deliver redeveloped flats corresponding to the original carpet area, subject to a maximum variation of 3%.

The redeveloped flats will carry identical product specifications, premium branded materials, finishes, fixtures and amenities offered by Sobha to buyers in its new luxury projects. Further, the SC fixed strict and non-negotiable operational deadlines to prevent future administrative delays.

Residents of the unsafe towers have to vacate and handover possession by January 1, 2027. This deadline will not be extended. Also, redevelopment must begin by March 31, 2027, and the completed flats have to be handed over within 48 months from January 1.