India, Sept. 12 -- LUCKNOW A deadly building collapse in the city two years ago and the recent Delhi incident have put the spotlight back on a question that continues to haunt Lucknow: what happens to safety rules after authorities announce them? The September 2024 Transport Nagar building collapse, which killed eight people and injured around 28, prompted the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to strengthen its building regulations and make structural audits mandatory for buildings more than 30 years old.

But many LDA officials in Lucknow's enforcement zones said they were unaware of any sustained structural audit drive.

The apparent disconnect was significant because LDA claimed that it prepared a list of 160 properties for structura...