After sustained pressure from the residents of the Jains Westminster apartment complex in Chennai’s Saligramam, the builder Jain Housing and Constructions has agreed to carry out restoration and renovation works. The builder signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jains Westminster Owners Welfare Association on August 14 to expedite the repair and renovation work, aiming for completion within a stringent 12-month timeline. The agreement will be submitted to the Madras High Court, which is hearing a case filed by the residents against the builders to carry out repair work. TNM first reported this story on August 4, on how hundreds of residents are living in fear after the cement chunks and iron rods from the ceilings of the building began to fall.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) accessed by TNM says that Jain Builders will provide a report from an approved agency with concurrence with the Owners Welfare Association to see whether Jains Westminster is in repairable condition. If it is found repairable then Jain Builders will execute the overall structural repairs/rectification/renovation works including those caused due to chloride-induced corrosion in the residential complex at their own cost. The overall structural rectification/reparation works will include work in the common areas and within every individual flat, including unsold flats, the agreement said.
It was signed between Vijay Shekhawat, CEO of Jain Housing and Constructions Limited, Sachin Mehta MD of Jains Housing and D V Rajappa, President of Jains Westminster Owners Welfare Association. Speaking to TNM, Kumar, secretary of the Owners Welfare Association, confirmed the signing of the MoU but highlighted that the document is yet to be submitted to the court. “We are waiting for the court procedure to be completed, where both parties would submit a joint memo in the form of an undertaking,” he said.
According to the agreement, Jain Housing has also agreed to undertake repairs and rectification works in individual flats and guaranteed alternate accommodation subject to a maximum of 15 flats at a time. Bhaskaran, a resident, told TNM that the builder will accommodate families in C-Block where almost 130 flats remain unsold as per the court’s order. The Madras High Court in September 2022 had restricted the builder from allowing the sale of unsold apartments due to poor quality of construction. “No incidents have been reported in C-Block yet. There are some cracks, but the damages are not as severe as A and B blocks. We hear that the builder will accommodate us in those unsold flats,” Bhaskaran added.
Jain Housing has agreed to reimburse the cost of repairs and renovation undertaken by the Jains Westminster Owners Welfare Association till August 6. According to the MoU, an amount of Rs 4.47 crore has been spent by the residents of the apartment complex towards repairs and renovation. The builder has agreed to settle the amount in four installments within 360 days, starting August 14.
Following complaints of concrete and iron rods dropping from the ceilings at the apartment, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) initiated a probe. The report suspected that the water used during construction had high chloride content. "The samples will be sent to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras for ascertaining the reason," a senior official from CMDA said. TNM has learnt that the Centre for Urbanisation, Building and Environment (CUBE) was appointed by CMDA to assess the building.
According to a source present during the inspection, at the end of the visual inspection by the officials from CUBE, they had expressed doubts about whether the damages could be completely repaired. “The problem is not just with the chloride content in the water. The raw materials used for construction are possibly of substandard quality,” the source said. A detailed report with lab tests is expected to be submitted within a month, the source added.
On Wednesday, August 16, chunks of concrete with iron rods fell from the ceiling in an unoccupied flat on Block A, on the 14th floor. As the unit above is occupied, the builder is reportedly installing scaffolds to hold the ceiling of the unsold flat. During the wee hours on Thursday, August 17, another incident of a ceiling collapsing in parts was reported in a unit on the fourth floor of the same block, residents reported.
It is to be noted that the residents of the Jains Westminster complex had already approached the Madras High Court in 2022, seeking a court direction for the builder to carry out repairs and renovation work. A police complaint was also lodged against the builders by the residents on July 31, holding them responsible for structural defects Since July 31, the residents claim that ceilings have been collapsing frequently. Allegedly, the builder had not been responsive to these concerns till August 2023.
When TNM visited the 17-floored apartment complex on Thursday, August 3, the floor tiles and walls had been cracked and elongated with gaps, the concrete plasters on the roofs had been peeling off, and the staircases had been severely damaged. The hand railings on the balcony and the grills on the corridors had been completely rusted. The grills had also been unattached to the supporting beams. When in use, the elevators had been shaking, rendering the entire building entirely unsafe.