Developer apartments have always been notorious for weak construction. This was reiterated last week when a utility balcony on the third floor of Umang Breeze, a condominium in Sector 78, Gurgaon, collapsed. The balcony was situated near the kitchen of Flat K304.
Shocked residents lodged a complaint with the town and country planning department, alleging negligence on the builder’s part.
Members of the RWA have also reported the incident to the station house officer of Kherki Daula police station and filed a complaint against the developer.
“A family of four, including two children, lives on the floor from where this balcony fell," said Deepal Bansal, secretary of the RWA. "Although there have been no casualties, the residents are in a state of shock. A general advisory has been issued by the RWA on the advice of the local administration. Residents have been advised not to use their balconies till a detailed inspection has been conducted by a third party.”
"There have also been considerable structural damages to the flats below," she added.
In this residential complex, most of the balconies are supported by struts.
“I was about to go to the utility balcony for some work, and suddenly I heard a thundering sound, and before I knew what was happening, I saw that it had given way. I panicked and shouted for help, as I wasn’t sure if there were any residents on the floor below. Thankfully, there was nobody there at the time," said Divya Jha, owner of K304.
For some time, residents of this society have been raising concerns over the quality of construction. However, the local administration has not taken any action.
Pradeep Yadav, president of the RWA, said, “For the past four years, we have been requesting the developer to give us all the amenities he had promised. However, there have been no results. We have submitted a complaint about this to the town and country planning office. We have repeatedly asked the developer to provide compliance certificates, structure stability certificates and lift licences. However, we haven’t received anything. Now residents live in fear of their lives, as the builder has seriously compromised the building’s safety,” Yadav said.
The station house officer of Kherki Daula police station has started an investigation into the incident. “We have registered a case against the developer for negligence and will take appropriate action against him,” said Yashwant Singh, SHO, Kherki Daula police station.
