Four years after the flats possession was handed over in October 2015, nothing much seems to have changed.
Over 450 families of Today homes ridge residency in Noida sector 135 are facing their worst nightmare. The maintenance staff is on a strike since the last five days for non payment of their dues, the lifts are not working, monkey menace, water-logging, power failure, one can name a problem and these residents are living with it day in-and-out.
Four years after the flats possession was handed over in October 2015, nothing much seems to have changed. The premises still has no Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), no allotted parking space barring for those 50 flats who got the possession in the first year.
Sharad Sharma, a resident said, "No inspection of the lift has ever been done. There is no AMC certificate or an emergency contact number sticker inside the lifts.”
"In 2017, the lift was not working for over three months, and the residents had filed a complaint against the builder and then our issue was resolved,” Prabhu Dutt, a resident said.
The children inside the premises live by the fear of being attacked either by a monkey or stray dogs who can be seen around roaming freely.
Sharma said that there are over 100 monkeys and many residents have become a victim to them.
The nine towers occupied residency has no provision of fire extinguishers, the sprinklers have never been tested.
A resident told our reporter that some four months back, there was a fire incident in one of the flats and when the occupants of the flat tried to use the fire mechanism installed by the builder, it never worked.
"Our security is being severely compromised, there is a single CCTV which covers only the entrance, the fire extinguishers don’t work, the water stinks,” a female resident of Tower B said.
The township has nine occupied towers and seven semi-constructed towers. The half erected towers have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes because of water-logging. Several reptiles including snakes have also been found here.
Calling logged water a lake view, a resident who lives on the 13th floor told our reporters that not just the basement but all the common areas are also flooded when it rains. She said that even the drains in between the building gaps overflow because they have never been cleaned and algae formation can clearly be seen.
The township has 20 plus maintenance staff who have not been given their salary of two months
When our reporter tried talking to the maintenance staff who were in their sixth day of strike on Saturday, they said that they had no other mean as their salary has been due since the last two months.
Munisa from the cleaning staff said, "The residents complain about us even when a wrapper is seen in the lift or anywhere but now when we have not collected the garbage since last six days and heaps have been lying around, they are not complaining but instead filing cases.”
Another staff member Usha said, "We are coming everyday but not working, we will work only if our past dues are paid. Why only we suffer? Guards and other blue collar employees like plumbers get their salary on time."
Pramuna, a garbage picker said, " Only the salaries of women has been stopped, all the male employees of the maintenance staff get their salary on 12th of every month.”
The water that is supplied to the household has a foul smell and is often discoloured. They have no permanent pump man and according to the maintenance staff, the over head tank was last cleaned an year ago.
When our reporter visited the pump room there was green algae all over the floor and the water treatment plant was not working and was switched on only when our reporter asked for the same.
Five days after the strike upon the request of the residents, a garbage van was sent by the Noida Authority to pick the assembled garbage near the main gate.
Sharad told our reporter that a double of the same garbage had been lying in the household across the township. Since the collected garbage is three days old.
The township has no Apartment Owner's Association (AOA) as they are waiting for the builder to provide them with the bare minimum facilities.
"In spite of paying Rs 2 per sq ft we are not even getting bare minimum facilities, we have no hopes from the builder now. We can only trust the authorities," a resident said.
