Pvt builders draw ire of residents over substandard construction

Gurugram: Amidst fear of the safety of residents living in the buildings built illegally, inhabitants of Uniworld Garden in Sector-47 faced a scare when a part of the overhanging eaves came off. Malfunctioned lifts, wearing of plaster, poor sewage systems and host of other problems have plagued the new constructions in Gurugram. The substandard materials used in construction again came to fore during the recent monsoon showers when flaws in the new building were exposed. Trepidation have been expressed by the residents on compromising the quality in construction and maintenance which may lead to a big mishap with causalities.

While the incident did not hurt any resident, the dangers of lack of maintenance was highlighted when a lift fell off from 14 floors in 17-year-old residential society in Phase-4 area. One of the victims in the incident had to even undergo a surgery.

A large number of complaints regarding the flaws in constructions are being reported from societies situated in Golf Course Extension road, Sohna road, and Sector81-95 in the New Gurugram area.

All the residential societies in these areas are new constructions which are only about seven to eight years old and are built by prominent private developers. In order to save costs most of the construction, these flats were given to multiple contractors. Lack of timely payments to these contracting agencies not only resulted in delaying the construction of the flats but also using substandard materials to cut the costs, claims the residents.

Most of the residents have addressed the concerns to the Chief Minister using various platforms. Having unable to find an effective solution, most of these resident bodies have also written to the Prime Minister Office for intervention.

Meanwhile, few resident bodies have taken the task of maintenance from the builders. "There is no denying the fact that most of the builders take security for granted and a large share of money collected towards the welfare of the society move into their pockets. There is a need for the government to intervene and stop the loot," said Sudhir Ahuja, one of the society residents. Owing to lack of maintenance, residents have also approached the Gurugram police to act against the builders earlier this year.