New Delhi, June 8 -- The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday demolished or partially razed 26 properties and sealed 42 others in a citywide crackdown against illegal structures, officials said.
In addition, the Delhi government's Revenue department inspected 86 properties, taking the total inspection to 452 properties since June 5.
The crackdown comes in the wake of a series of tragedies in the city, owing mainly to lapses in civic structures, flouting of fire safety norms, and corruption. The gravest of them all occurred on June 3, when a blaze ripped through a five-storey hotel, killing 22 people, including a 16-year-old girl and foreign nationals from Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Congo, Mozambique and Liberia.
The MCD, acting on directions of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has come down heavily against building bylaws violations, carrying out demolition action against 123 properties and sealing 170 properties since June 1, officials said.
According to official data, the civic body has issued 106 unauthorised construction show cause notices, 60 sealing show cause notices and 42 demolition orders in the last eight days, taking total enforcement actions to 208.
In South Delhi, MCD carried out nine major enforcement actions in areas including Adchini, Said-ul-Azaib, Freedom Fighter Colony, Savitri Nagar, Khirki Extension and Chhattarpur Pahari.
Since June 1, a total of 56 properties have been targeted by the MCD for demolition and sealing across Said-ul-Azaib, Hauz Rani, Khirki Extension, Savitri Nagar, Begumpur, Chhattarpur, Sainik Farms, Khanpur and Gautam Nagar, officials said.
The civic body also said a survey is underway to identify illegal commercial and residential constructions across all zones, warning that strict action will continue under the Master Plan-2021, Unified Building Bye-Laws-2016, and the DMC Act-1957.
Separately, in a major safety enforcement exercise, authorities inspected 452 sites across the national capital over a four-day drive to check fire safety compliance, emergency preparedness and adherence to building norms.
Officials said 366 sites were inspected between June 5 and June 7, while 86 more properties were checked on Monday, leading to multiple show cause and closure notices against non-compliant establishments.
The inspections revealed widespread lapses, particularly in budget hotels, guest houses, banquet halls and commercial establishments, where deficiencies in fire safety systems and emergency protocols were found. In Central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, prominent establishments were found operating without basic lifesaving measures.
Lapses ranged from missing emergency exit plans
and contact numbers to non-functional fire alarms and water pipelines.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.