New Delhi (07.11.2021): At one stroke, NBCC, a PSU under the administrative control of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, has brought down not only its own reputation but has also caused shame to all public sector employees who take great pride in serving the nation.

Following an inspection on September 18, 2021, of NBCC's Green View Residential Society spread over 18 acres in Sector 37 D Gurugram, the IIT Delhi made several alarming observations in terms of structural faults and use of poor quality construction material quality. Following the vigilance enquiry two construction companies, Rama constructions and Supreme Infrastructure, who constructed the project have reportedly been put in the holiday list for two years. 

The IIT Delhi's inspection was necessitated in view of the complaints from residents of the society that their flats were becoming inhabitable barely a few years after their occupation. So the inspection team carried out comprehensive forensic auditing of the structures and building materials.    

At some point, an expert team from the IIT-Bombay was also roped in for a second opinion.

NBCC launched its Green View Project in 2010 and started giving the possession in August 2017 after a delay of over two years. The society has 923 flats, including 139 EWS flats. So far, 260 flats have been sold and more than 150 families are residing here.

The IIT Delhi inspection team has confirmed the complaints of the residents as genuine.

It has highlighted the following deficiencies:

• Consistent sagging of slabs from the popping of tiles. At numerous sections of the structure 10-12 cm, the thick creed was observed on the top of the slab

• Corrosion was observed all over the reinforcement work. At numerous spots, 4 mm thick rust marks were seen throughout the concrete. Pitting erosion in the reinforcement was also observed

• Vertical cracks in the indoor part of the columns in kitchens

• New cracks were observed in the slabs of buildings

• Compression cracks at several locations in the columns

• Progression of deterioration in the time span of the previous visit of the  consultant IIT Delhi

• The magnitude of deterioration with the continuous increase

• The threat of old contaminated concrete easily traveling into the repair concrete and causing a failure of the repaired elements.

In the light of the above, the IIT Delhi’s structural audit team has advised the evacuation of all residents within two months to carry out repairs of the entire structural work as well as of plastering and tiling which have to be completely replaced.

This constrained NBCC to issue an evacuation notice on October 3. Already seething in anger for having been cheated, residents have demanded that they be defrayed the entire cost of their flats along with interest plus cost of registration and interiors because they have no interest in staying in an imperiled housing society.

Most of the occupants have reportedly vacated following the alarming situation but many others are still not willing to vacate because of the issues they have with NBCC.