NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority’s initiative to demolish and reconstruct Signature View Apartments has been temporarily halted despite approvals from the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating allegations of irregularities and corruption concerning the construction of these towers and has requested the Authority to suspend the demolition until it gathers necessary evidence from the site.
Facing tight deadlines while simultaneously paying rent to former tenants, the Authority informed the High Court on Friday about the CBI’s directive and requested judicial intervention.
Senior advocate Sanjay Jain, representing the land-owning organization, noted that the CBI requested an inspection of the buildings’ quality before the demolition could proceed, necessitating an official no-objection certificate.
However, a bench led by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia advised that it could not intervene, stating that the issue at hand pertained only to the floor-area ratio (FAR) and not the ongoing criminal investigation.
Sources indicate that the agency has begun collecting samples, even as the Authority previously urged it to expedite this process.
In its response to the CBI, the Authority pointed out that the demolition contract was awarded last October, and the site was taken over on November 28 for demolition preparations. “Nonetheless, based on your office’s guidelines, the demolition has yet to commence. Approximately Rs 1.85 crore is being disbursed monthly to the flat owners. Additionally, both the demolition and reconstruction are time-sensitive,” stated a letter from the Authority’s executive engineer. “We kindly request that quality testing of the apartment components be initiated and the no-objection certificate issued promptly,” the letter added.
In January 2023, the Delhi LG mandated the “immediate initiation of criminal proceedings against contractors, builders, and construction agencies, alongside a vigilance inquiry to identify responsible DDA officials for any lapses or misconduct associated with the buildings,” which was forwarded to the investigating agency.
In 2024, the agency registered a case, implicating 28 retired Authority officials and two private contractors for allegedly compromising the safety and quality of the apartment construction.
Two testing agencies, Bharat Test House and Delhi Test House, were also included in the FIR, alongside contractors Winner Construction Private Limited and Grover Construction Private Limited, as well as DDA officials who oversaw the construction of the 336-flat complex in Mukherjee Nagar from 2007 to 2009.
