The collapse of a building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday, which killed at least six people, has prompted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to launch a major crackdown on illegal constructions across the city.
The civic body said that all illegal constructions with more than four floors would be immediately sealed.
“All illegal constructions with more than four floors will be immediately sealed, and strict action will be taken against the guilty officials, leading to their immediate dismissal,” the MCD said, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
The multi-storey building that collapsed in Satya Niketan was around 50 years old and housed a boys’ paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus. The property, which stood on a plot measuring around 55 square yards, collapsed while repair work was underway on the ground floor.
According to the MCD, there was no record of any booking or sealing action against the building, nor had the civic body received any complaints regarding the structure.
However, a senior civic official said that no sanctioned building plan existed for the structure and that construction carried out in the basement was unauthorised, according to the HT report.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the building collapse rose to six, while a total of 11 people have been rescued from the debris so far.
According to reports, around 20 students are still feared trapped under the rubble. Multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), have been carrying out rescue operations.
Police have booked the building owner, Hariram, and others on charges including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure, and endangering the safety of others.
The building collapsed at around 1:30 pm on Sunday. Locals claimed that the accumulation of water in the basement over several days of rain had weakened the building’s foundation, eventually leading to its collapse.
