New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) A day after the reported collapse of a few balconies in a DDA-built apartment in Dwarka, the urban body on Tuesday claimed those were "old houses" allotted about 20 years ago and the onus of maintenance lied with owners and the resident welfare association.

On Monday, photographs purportedly showing "fallen balconies" at Harmony Apartment, built as SFS (self-finance scheme) flat, circulated on social media.

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"It is clarified that these are old constructed houses allotted in between 1999-2000 and responsibility of its maintenance lies with RWA/owners of flats as per the policy of DDA," the housing authority said in a statement.

It also clarified that it had received "no complaint" regarding the condition of the flats in this housing pocket in the past.

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"Besides, the DDA has already issued instructions that structural safety audit is to be carried out in Delhi within six months by all the owners or occupants of the building sanctioned before 21.03.2001," the DDA said.

"It is mandatory for a high rise building (15m and above). The occupants of other buildings are also advised to have structural safety audit done for their own safety," the statement said.

In these cases, owners or occupants are supposed to have the structural safety audit done by a structural engineer from local authorities, a senior official said.

The DDA maintains flats built after 2010 as per the maintenance clause, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)