NEW DELHI, July 9 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on civic authorities over unauthorised constructions in Delhi-NCR and recent fire tragedies in Delhi and Lucknow, warning that senior officials would be held personally liable for failing to comply with its directions.

A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan sought the personal presence of officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and civic bodies in Gurugram and Lucknow, expressing concern over their conduct and repeated non-compliance with court orders.

The court noted that little effective action had been taken on its May 20 directions regarding the sealing, demolition and other legal measures against unauthorised structures. It made it clear that no "slackness" on the part of civic authorities would be tolerated and warned that suo motu contempt proceedings could be initiated against officials who failed to implement its orders.

The bench took on record status reports submitted by amicus curiae and senior advocate Ajit Sinha on recent fire incidents and action taken against illegal constructions.

Sinha told the court that the fires in Delhi's Malviya Nagar on June 3 and in Lucknow's Aliganj on June 22 were the result of multiple failures rather than a single lapse.

The Malviya Nagar fire broke out in a narrow multi-storey building operating as a bed and breakfast facility with a restaurant on the ground floor. The blaze claimed 23 lives, most of them foreign nationals from countries including Nigeria, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, while more than 50 people were rescued.

The Aliganj fire in Lucknow killed 15 people, mostly students aged between 16 and 25, and injured several others.

Taking serious note of the incidents, the apex court said it had already issued specific directions regarding congested areas such as Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar and indicated that dangerous unauthorised structures should be demolished immediately to prevent further tragedies.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.