Building collapse kills 2: MCD suspends two engineers, says owner built floors in guise of repairs

The owner of the building that collapsed in Chawri Bazaar on Thursday allegedly constructed the second and third floors under the guise of repair work, in violation of building bye-laws and conditions laid down by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

According to an official from MCD, in a preliminary inquiry, the civic body found that the owner of the building as per its records, Samiullah, had undertaken fresh construction without obtaining the requisite permissions or informing the MCD, despite an advisory issued to him on April 28, asking him to carry out strengthening and corrective measures.

The advisory required the owner to submit a structural stability/safety certificate from a qualified structural engineer empanelled with the MCD after completing the work. “The advisory specifically clarified that it should not be construed as permission for reconstruction,” the official said.

The incident was reported at 9.50 am from Gali Sitara, near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station. Officials said slabs were being poured on the third floor and the building collapsed under its weight. (Image Credit: Amit Mehra)

“The shuttering of the third floor lintel was hurriedly removed, reportedly in apprehension of restrictions on the ongoing construction activity, following which the third floor lintel collapsed, triggering the collapse of the entire building,” the official added.

The MCD on Thursday suspended its Assistant Engineer, Mohd Naeem, and Junior Engineer Aman Dalal of the area’s building department for alleged “severe dereliction of duty”, pending an inquiry.

The Delhi Police said it had alerted the MCD about the unauthorised construction in June and asked it to stop the work. “However, the work hadn’t stopped. About 10-15 labourers were present at the building at the time of the collapse. The owners have been identified and will be arrested,” DCP Rohit Rajbir Singh said.

A letter from the Hauz Qazi SHO to the MCD, dated June 15, stated that unauthorised construction was being carried out at the premises and sought action from the concerned agencies. It also named a contractor, Fuqran, who was allegedly undertaking the work.

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According to the MCD official, on June 15, the civic body had received the communication along with photographs indicating repair and maintenance work at the property. “…an inspection was conducted, during which the owner was found undertaking repair work at the premises. No subsequent complaint regarding fresh construction activity involving complete demolition of the existing structure, or any other information in this regard, was received thereafter,” the official said.

FIR has been registered against the contractor and the AE and JE have been suspended.(Image Credit: Amit Mehra )

Further, the official flagged discrepancies in the owner’s property tax declaration. According to MCD records, Samiullah paid Rs 75,114 in property tax on April 22 under the Self-Assessment (SUNIYO) Scheme, covering six financial years from 2020-21 to 2025-26. In the returns, the property was declared as a ground-plus-four-floor building, with a covered area of around 80 sq m.

“While portions of the earlier structure existed at the premises, the owner appears to have undertaken fresh construction on the second and third floors under the garb of repair work, resulting in a G-3 (ground-plus-three floors) structure, beyond the scope of the advisory issued by MCD,” the official said.

The official alleged that the additional floor declared in the tax returns was intended to mislead authorities and claim protection under special laws.

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“The structure is situated on a small plot measuring approximately 45 sq yards, at the end of a dead-end lane… The approach lane is extremely narrow, approximately 3-ft wide, and is inaccessible to motorised vehicles, with the property being approachable only on foot,” the official said.