41 Structures Razed, 61 Properties Sealed In Delhi After Hostel Collapse

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has intensified its enforcement drive against unauthorised construction, dangerous buildings and violations of building norms, carrying out 41 demolition actions and sealing 61 properties across the city's 12 zones on Thursday.

The civic body also issued 32 show-cause notices and passed three demolition orders as part of the day's action. The latest drive followed enforcement action carried out on Wednesday, when 46 properties were demolished, and another 20 were sealed for violations of the Master Plan of Delhi and building bye-laws.

In the East Zone, action was taken in areas including Khureji Khas, Jagatpuri and Laxmi Nagar. In the West Zone, demolition teams acted against unauthorised structures in Paschim Puri, Madipur, Subhash Nagar, Vipin Garden, Bakkarwala, Nangli Vihar and Nihal Vihar.

At Paschim Puri in Madipur, roof panels on the first, second and third floors were cut down. In Subhash Nagar, a roof panel was removed, and a toilet block built on the fourth-floor terrace was demolished.

At Som Bazar Road in Vipin Garden, Uttam Nagar, a ground-floor roof panel was demolished, while a property near Aakash Vihar on Bakkarwala Road was completely demolished. Further action was taken in Nangli Vihar, where a roof panel and two first-floor walls were removed, and in Nihal Vihar, Nangloi, where two slab panels on the fourth floor were demolished.

In the Central Zone, the MCD took action against a G 5 building in Madanpur Khadar Extension. Four panels on the fifth floor were cut down before the building was sealed.

The civic body said several other properties have been identified for enforcement action and warned that its crackdown on unauthorised construction, misuse of properties and dangerous structures would continue in the coming days.

Alongside the enforcement drive, the MCD has carried out a large-scale survey of buildings being used for paying guest (PG) accommodation across Delhi.

So far, around 1,355 buildings housing PG facilities have been identified, with approximately 27,000 people living in them, according to the civic body.

The survey is aimed at creating a database of PG accommodations and assessing the buildings in which they operate. The MCD is expected to use the findings to determine further action and ensure that such facilities are not being run from unsafe or unauthorised premises.

In a separate action in Chandni Chowk, the MCD sealed 54 shops operating illegally from basements in Kucha Mahajani.

The action was carried out on the directions of the Monitoring Committee and the Supreme Court. The properties involved are numbered 1167/1094, 1165/1103, 1153 and 1167/1095.

According to the MCD, the shops were being used for commercial activities in violation of the Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2016 and the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021. The civic body also cited the absence of mandatory clearances from the Fire Department and other statutory authorities.

The 54 shops were sealed under Section 345-A read with Section 347 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.

The MCD said its enforcement campaign would continue across all 12 zones, with unauthorised construction, misuse of premises and dangerous structures remaining a key focus. Public safety, it said, would remain a priority while taking action against violations of building and planning regulations.

The development comes in the wake of the September 6 Satya Niketan tragedy, when a five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys collapsed in the student-dominated locality near Delhi University's South Campus.

Seven people, including five students and two labourers, were killed in the collapse. The building, located opposite Sri Venkateswara College, was being used to accommodate students.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)