by THO
The Noida authority will complete the new building of its main administrative office in Sector 96 by November-end, 2024, officials in the know of the matter said on Monday, adding that necessary steps will be taken to resolve all technical issues in the under construction building by February end, in accordance with the suggestions made by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi), which undertook a structural audit of the building and submitted a report suggesting corrective measures.
“We have directed the civil department to take steps to address the technical issues in the construction and make sure that it is completed and delivered by November-end 2024,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.
Work on Noida authority’s new building in Sector 96 started in 2015 and it was to be ready by end of 2023, as around 70% work has been completed so far. The authority was to shift its key administrative offices to the new building in January 2024, said officials.
However, the contractor couldn’t complete the work as per the deadline. After a delay of several years, the authority officials realised that there were some structural safety issues in the building. So, in July 2023, they decided to get a structural safety audit done by IIT-Delhi.
The IIT Delhi has submitted its report in December and suggested revisions in the structural drawings, pillars, walls, beams and other areas, before further construction can take place on this project, Noida officials said.
The IIT Delhi has finally submitted its report and suggested revisions in the structural drawings, pillars, walls, beams and other areas, officials said.
“The IIT-Delhi after the audit suggested changes in the construction material and minor changes in the design of the pillars, walls and beams. We will first address these minor changes. We aim to complete these technical issues by February end. Once that is done, we will deploy at least 600 workers to complete the building as soon as possible so that it is ready by November-end 2024,” said a Noida authority official, asking not to be named.
As of now, the authority’s main office is located in a one storey building in Sector 6 and it aims to shift its departments to the new building in December end, 2024.
“IIT-Delhi collected samples from 13 points, including walls, beams, pillars and raw construction material. And the institute has suggested some changes before the work can progress to the next stage. Once the authority CEO addressed the issues raised in the IIT report, then we will decide on when work can start again at the site,” said Satish Pal, additional chief executive officer, Noida authority.
The authority, in October 2022, hired a new contractor for the finishing the work as the previous one had delayed the project.
When work started in February 2015,with a budget of ₹477 crore, the state-of-the-art green building was supposed to be ready by 2019. But the project that comprises two buildings — one 18 storeys high and the other eight storeys high — has since then missed several deadlines.It was supposed be an eco-friendly building, unique of its kind. The 18 storey building is supposed to have 1,200 car capacity parking in its basement, said officials.
