A retired Army officer and war veteran, General Ashok Mehta, has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the Noida Authority, Lokesh, seeking urgent intervention after a major portion of the ceiling in his flat collapsed last September. The incident took place in Ram Vihar Society (RVS), Sector 30, Noida — an AWHO (Army Welfare Housing Organisation) complex where the 88-year-old officer and his wife were living since 1995.
In his letter dated October 27, 2025, addressed to the CEO of Noida Authority, Sector 6, General Mehta described the collapse of the ceiling as the culmination of “repeated patchy and perfunctory repair work done by the society.” The damage, he wrote, stemmed from recurrent leakage and seepage from the terrace, which the society had failed to repair adequately despite its multiple interventions in 2015 and 2022-23.
According to General Mehta, on returning from abroad on September 22, 2025, he discovered that large portions of the ceiling — including reinforced cement concrete and masonry — had collapsed in one of the rooms of his top-floor flat (B-707). “The ceiling collapse could have led to fatalities or injuries. Luckily, we were not in the flat,” he stated in his complaint.
The retired officer said that after meeting the society’s Board of Management (BOM) on September 24, he was informed that a structural examination of the entire society’s roofing and internal ceiling had been ordered and that cost estimates for repairs were awaited. However, despite repeated reminders via letters dated September 28, October 5, and October 9, and multiple WhatsApp messages to the society’s President, Brig Y Mukherjee, there was “no response” except for a general circular on October 3 by the Secretary, Col Avinash Verma.
An earlier WhatsApp message to him by General Mehta on January 8, 2023, when he was Secretary, read, “To remind you of the rooftop ceiling leaking a second time.”
On this October 23, the BOM informed him that under society rules, owners are responsible for internal repairs while the RVS handles external ones - a distinction General Mehta termed “irrelevant” in the case of top-floor flats. The validity of this rule, apparently transacted in the AGM, is itself questionable. “The internal damage was a direct consequence of leakage from the terrace, for which the society had twice previously carried out repairs. The BOM did not tell Gen Mehta on 24 Sep that he would have to do internal repairs. The society’s negligence has made my flat structurally unsafe,” he wrote.
General Mehta further highlighted that the terrace above his flat is a common area controlled and locked by the society, to which he has no personal access. His neighbour in B 708, Jamwal, a civil engineer, had suffered similar internal and external damage. “There is a real danger in the future that the roof could collapse due to the negligence of the Ram Vihar Society,” he warned, adding that the situation has caused him “undue strain and distress.” The present office bearers say there is no record of society having carried out any repairs, when the permanent staff will vouch for it.
He has now requested the Noida Authority to direct the RVS management headed by President Brig. Mukherjee, to carry out immediate internal and external structural repairs and ensure waterproofing of the terrace to prevent further damage. RVS is otherwise a harmonious habitat except for the whimsical and ad hoc behaviour of some elected officials.
The complaint concludes by underscoring that this is not an isolated case of minor seepage, but a serious structural failure that threatens the safety and security of other residents, which is the cardinal responsibility of management/officials.
The Ram Vihar Society could not be reached for immediate comment. The Noida Authority is expected to take cognisance of the matter following General Mehta’s formal written complaint.
