Following Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s directions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will investigate the role of erring DDA officials in ‘damaged’ Signature View Apartments.
File photo of Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena
By Munish Pandey: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the role of erring Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and contractors responsible for the poor quality of construction of Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar locality.
Following Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s directions, DDA has lodged a complaint with the CBI to register FIR against all concerned for endangering lives of residents and criminal breach of trust.
Erring DDA officials include three members (Engineering) during the period, six Chief Engineers, nine Superintending Engineers, nine Executive Engineers, four Assistant Engineers and eight Junior Engineers.
In a massive crackdown against “corruption and negligence” at the top level that has put hundreds of lives at risk in the structurally damaged Signature View Apartments, the DDA, following directions of Lt Governor VK Saxena, has lodged a complaint with the CBI to lodge FIR against the DDA officials, contractors/builders involved in the case.
Signature View Apartment was built during 2007–2009 and was allotted to residents in 2011-2012, but in just a few years, the building has become structurally unsafe.
Taking a serious note of the “grave lapses” that resulted in the building, comprising 336 HIG/MIG flats, becoming structurally unsafe in just about 2-3 years of its construction, the L-G, on January 24, 2023 had ordered, “immediate initiation of criminal proceedings against the contractors/builders/construction agencies and a vigilance inquiry to identify all DDA officials responsible for lapses/misconduct in the construction of the said buildings and subsequent criminal action against the defaulting officials.”
Saxena, who has often invoked ‘Zero Tolerance to Corruption, Probity and Accountability’, has once again walked the talk. The move comes as a stern message from the L-G against any collusion/misconduct/laxity on part of the officials and that any compromise with the interest/safety of the residents will not be tolerated.
The DDA has requested the CBI to register FIR against “all concerned including the contractors namely M/S Winner Construction Pvt Ltd. and M/S Grover Construction Pvt Ltd, the testing agencies – M/S Bharat Test House and M/S Delhi Test House, all involved DDA officials and unknown persons” for offences of “cheating, criminal breach of trust, endangering life and public safety of others and other relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.”
As per the L-G’s directions, a vigilance inquiry was conducted by the DDA to ascertain the role of DDA officials in the case. The vigilance inquiry has established a “collusion” between the DDA officials and builders/contractors that resulted in “compromising the quality and structural safety requirement during the construction, thereby causing wrongful loss to DDA besides putting to peril the lives and property of hundreds of residents”.
The vigilance inquiry has prima facie found the following:
The provisions pertaining to the quality control as highlighted in the contract and the CPWD manual were bypassed, owing to which the construction has failed in less than a decade of building’s erection.
The concrete in the structure is, at most locations, of a lower grade than that expected. Despite several repairs of the existing structure, the structural stability continues to fail to an extent that an independent expert has suggested immediate evacuation of the buildings.
It was the duty of the contractor and all the concerned officers to ensure that prescribed norms of quality control and terms and conditions of the agreement are followed. It appears that either the officers had failed to point the deficiencies during the construction or effectively colluded with the agency to compromise the quality and provide wrongful gains to the agency.
“Vice Chairman, DDA, in compliance of the directions of Delhi L-G, has decided that this case be registered for lodging of FIR against the contractors/builders/construction agencies, all concerned testing agencies such as M/s Bharat Test House, M/s Delhi Test House etc., defaulting DDA officials and other unknown persons associated with the construction of 336 multi-storeyed HIG/MIG houses at Signature View Apartment, Mukherjee Nagar, for compromising the quality and structural safety requirement during the construction, thereby causing wrongful loss to DDA besides putting to peril the lives and property of hundreds of residents.
Early action in this regard is, therefore, requested for filing an FIR against all concerned for the offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust, endangering life and public safety of others and other relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,” DDA’s Chief Vigilance Officer wrote to the Director, CBI.
The Signature View Apartment Complex, built during 2007–2009, was allotted to the residents in 2011-2012. Soon thereafter, the flats in the Complex started facing construction related issues, forcing the residents to complain about the same to DDA. A 2021-2022 study conducted by IIT Delhi at behest of DDA had found the building to be structurally unsafe, with a recommendation to ‘vacate and dismantle’ the same immediately.
Coming to the rescue and support of the residents, the LG has ordered the DDA to draw up a redevelopment and rehabilitation plan for the complex, in consultation with the RWA.
