IIT Bombay and CoEP Technical University have been approached by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to conduct the structural inspection of 4,883 flats that were constructed under the PMAY Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
This decision has come after several complaints were filed by residents on shabby construction and ongoing issues like bathroom defects, ceiling damage, and toilet leakages within a year of possession of the flats. These flats were meant to be given for the economically weaker sections of the society who were given possession of their flats last year. Shortly after moving in, the residents began reporting problems that prompted PMRA officials to instruct the developers in carrying out repairs and imposing a fine on the lapses.
The Chief Engineer of PMRDA, Mr. Rinaj Pathan stated to Times of India “ The structures are safe and stable for habitation, however, we believe it’s prudent to have the buildings inspected by experts to ensure the safety of the residents. We have made requests to CoEP and IIT Bombay officials for inspection. Whichever institution replies first will be chosen for inspection.
The thorough inspection will verify if there was any tampering with quality construction materials as alleged by the residents. If the developers are found guilty, appropriate action will be taken by PMRDA authorities. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana project spans about 52 hectares and contains 45 buildings with each building spanning 11 floors of 1 to 2 BHK flats.
The residents, PMRDA officials and developers had a meeting to address the complaints. Since then, the developers began reconstructing the toilets and bathrooms in the affected flats with repairs meant to be completed by 15th December.
A resident Atul Kamble, moved into his new house in June 2023 highlighted that the repair works are ongoing slowly owing to the lack of manpower. “Only a few flats had issues in the beginning, but since then several residents have reported leakages including the water storage tanks and pipelines. He also said that resolving these issues needs a complete reconstruction of the toilets and bathrooms. He said”
The residents had initially staged a protest at the PMRDA office back in April requesting swift action to address these recurring issues.
Read More: PMRDA seeks IIT Bombay and CoEP’s help to inspect flats under PMAY scheme
