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GDA asks Vaishali societies to share renovation charges

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Development Authority ( GDA ) has offered the RWAs of Mandakini and Alaknanda towers in Vaishali, which were declared ‘unfit to inhabit’ by Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation last year, to jointly fund renovation of the two dilapidated buildings.

As per GDA, the cost of renovation of each nine-storey building will be about Rs 3.5 crore.

As of now, 62 flats are occupied in Alknanda and 48 in Mandakini, of 79 apartments in each of the towers. The GDA says if both the RWAs agree, then it is also ready to construct new towers on the model of Tulsi Niketan. “The retro-fitting cost of each towers have been estimated at Rs 3.5 crore and we have suggested that the two RWAs and GDA bear the cost proportionately,” said VN Singh, chief engineer, GDA.

“If this proposal is not accepted to RWAs, then we have suggested ‘Tulsi Niketan’ model under which that the two apartment buildings will be handed over to private builders who in turn will construct new ones after demolishing them, and in the intervening time, the occupants will be shifted elsewhere only to return after construction,” he added.

GDA’s proposals, however, has found no takers in the two RWAs.

“In 2011, when GDA had given the possession there was no RWA, and it came into being only in 2015,” said Amit Kumar, treasurer of Alakhnanda RWA. “The entire handover process was botched up as GDA at that time had not fulfilled the basic facilities necessary for complete handover. GDA is wrong in bringing forth the argument that it is RWAs responsibility to maintain apartment.”

Udyan Giri, RWA member of Mandakini Tower, demanded that GDA build new apartments on its own after demolishing the existing ones. “We do not subscribe to Jamia Milia Islamia report which says the buildings are ‘structurally sound’, we know that it is beyond repair and GDA needs to build new apartments or else we will go to court,” he said.

During a safety audit conducted by Jamia Milia Islamia, it was found that the buildings were structurally strong “but required retro fitting and maintenance”.

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