‘No prescribed safety audits for sports facilities in Gurugram societies’

Sports courts, parks, outdoor gyms and other recreational facilities inside private housing societies in Gurugram are governed by construction and maintenance rules, but there is no prescribed mechanism for their periodic safety audit or certification by a government agency, HT found after reviewing Haryana’s applicable regulations and speaking to officials.

The regulatory gap has assumed significance after a 24-year-old resident suffered serious spinal injuries on July 19 when a basketball pole collapsed on him in Sector 84 society. Police subsequently registered a negligence case against the society’s maintenance agency and its workers.

The incident came amid three other basketball-pole accidents reported within about nine months, including the deaths of two teenagers at sports facilities in Haryana in November 2025.

The Haryana Building Code, apartment ownership laws and real estate regulations prescribe requirements for construction, structural safety and upkeep of common areas but do not set a fixed inspection schedule for facilities such as basketball poles, badminton courts, children’s play equipment, goalposts or outdoor gym installations once a project is operational. Societies are also not required to periodically submit safety-audit reports covering such facilities to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) or the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

Under the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, gardens, yards, common installations and community facilities can form part of the common areas and facilities of a project and are subject to maintenance, repair and replacement under the Act and bye-laws. The Haryana Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017, also link common areas and facilities in group housing projects to the Apartment Ownership Act. RERA places obligations on promoters relating to essential services and structural defects.

These provisions create responsibilities for developers and apartment associations but do not establish a recurring government inspection regime specifically for sports and recreational equipment. After handover, the association of apartment owners becomes responsible for maintenance and repair of common facilities, with no specific requirement for an RWA to have recreational structures periodically tested, according to legal experts.

Srishti Singh, Founder, SSV and Partners, a legal firm handling RERA, property cases, said, “If an accident involving common amenities causes damage to a resident or their property, the builder can face strict liability under RERA 2016, as it is required to exercise reasonable care in maintaining such facilities. However, once the builder hands over the premises, no such automatic strict liability applies to the RWA under the current HRERA Rules 2017 and the Haryana Ownership Act. Instead, the victim must prove negligence by the RWA, which can be an uphill task given the strict standards of proof under Indian law.”

Uttam Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, told HT, “There is no such specific audit or check on the sports complexes inside residential areas. The municipal corporation conducts inspections only if they receive any complaint, but even that mechanism is not established.”

Amit Madholia, District Town Planner (Enforcement), said, “The DTCP is only responsible for checking structural issues in the buildings inside the residential complex and not recreational facilities.” MCG officials too said they did not have any standard SOP for such cases.

Rishabh Periwal, Senior Vice President, Pioneer Urban, said, “Dedicated sports complexes follow standards set by relevant sports federations and HSE norms, with regular quality and safety checks. However, there is no uniform regulatory mandate covering recreational facilities within residential complexes.”

Rajan Yadav, Director, Roots Developers, said, “There is no uniform requirement for periodic safety audits of recreational facilities after handover. Their upkeep and operational safety primarily become the responsibility of the RWA or residents’ association.”

Swimming pools, however, are subject to a separate licensing and safety framework in Gurugram, with powers for inspection and action against violations. There is no central government or district-level database recording accidents involving recreational facilities inside private residential complexes.