PTC Web Desk: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has issued an eviction notice to occupants of Signature View Apartment in northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, as the complex is “unsuitable for human habitation.” The complex, constructed between 2007-09, comprises 336 Middle-Income Group (MIG) and High-Income Group (HIG) flats. However, due to structural issues, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to demolish the building.
Dated December 18, the notice mandates residents to vacate within seven days, citing the society as hazardous and uninhabitable. The Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) of Signature View Apartment has expressed willingness to evacuate, provided they receive rent from the authority until new flats are reconstructed.
The decision to dismantle the towers follows complaints by residents about substandard construction. Acting on these concerns, the DDA engaged a structural consultant, ultimately deciding to seek the expertise of the National Council of Cement and Building Material (NCCBM). Further recommendations came from the structural consultant of IIT-Delhi after testing building material samples at the Shri Ram Institute of Industrial Research (SLR), Delhi.
The structural consultant’s assessment pointed to chloride levels higher than permissible, causing concrete deterioration and reinforcement corrosion. Consequently, the towers were deemed unsafe for human occupancy and scheduled for demolition.
Specifically mentioning towers A to L as perilous, the notice highlighted the risk posed not only to occupants, but also to passersby and the neighborhood.
RWA president Amrendra Kumar Rakesh expressed their readiness to vacate, but demanded rent from the DDA upon eviction. Despite the DDA’s initial offer to compensate residents only if all 336 flats were vacated simultaneously, the RWA cited difficulties in coordinating all flat-owners’ cooperation. They requested the authority to lower the mandatory evacuation threshold from 100% to 75%.
