Gurugram, June 20 -- The Gurugram district administration and the department of town and country planning (DTCP) have sought intervention from higher authorities to frame a policy for conducting structural audits of existing group housing societies, effectively halting the ongoing audit process. Officials said the move follows legal, financial, and procedural challenges encountered during the audits already conducted. In 2022, the Haryana government had directed structural audits following the collapse of a tower at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109, which claimed two lives. Since then, 15 group housing societies have undergone structural audits, but the process has exposed the absence of a statutory framework to support such inspections. A senior DTCP official said that the district committee overseeing the audits has encountered several legal hurdles. "There is no statutory framework defining how structural audits of older group housing societies should be conducted, or who is responsible. The process has been constrained by the absence of guidelines," the official said, requesting anonymity. The committee has now decided to pause the process and seek a formal policy from the state government. DTCP officials said that audits so far were conducted through empanelled consultants, with costs borne by developers. However, many issues surfaced regarding cost distribution, standard operating procedures, and resistance from stakeholders. While the district had later decided that audit costs for 23 additional societies would be shared equally between developers and homebuyers, the absence of legal backing led to delays and disputes, effectively halting the audits. Officials said that a framework for auditing older societies is urgently needed....