Signature View Apartments Row: CBI Files FIR Against DDA Officials And Builders

The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed an FIR against 32 builders and DDA officials on allegations that entered in a criminal conspiracy and compromised quality and structural safety requirements during construction of Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar in North Delhi.Delhi High Court today paved way for the demolition of Signature View Towers after it upheld the single judge order. DDA started constructing Signature View Apartments in 2007. Within five years it completed the project within five years and handed over the flats to residents. But soon there were complaints of debris falling and poor construction. Recently, 200 more residents of Signature View Apartments moved out after DDA agreed for rent assistance. In November

2022 IIT Delhi submitted a report stating towers were deemed unfit for living, however, compensation and rent was a contentious issue. In 2023 Delhi LG ordered a vigilance probe and criminal proceedings against erring DDA officials and builders after an IIT Delhi report highlighted "structural defects in buildings which can only be attributed to flawed, poor site and supervision." "Due to sub standard construction inferior quality of materials the building was declared as unsafe for living within less than a decade thereby causing a wrongful loss of Rs 45 crores to DDA and wrongful gains to themselves," said the CBI FIR which has been accessed by Times Now. CVO DDA forwarded the report to Director CBI. The CBI FIR contains the CVO letter to Director CBI. The report mentioned structural deficiencies in Towers A B C. "Towers A, B and C be vacated and dismantled. In the duration that the process of vacating the towers is ongoing, the structures must be visually monitored periodically so as to identify any signs of acceleration of corrosion that may put the residents at risk," mentions CBI FIR. Towers D E F G H I J K L "suffer from corrosion due to combined action of high chloride in the concrete faster than expected carbonation of concrete and lower than expected strength of concrete," CBI FIR states. "Tower D to L should be vacated due to extensive deterioration that has already occurred in these towers.Prima facie it appears Provisions pertaining to quality control as highlighted in the contract have been bypassed," said the CBI FIR. Vice chairman of DDA on directions of LG decided that an FIR should be registered