New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- From Bijwasan in the south-west to Dilshad Garden in the north-east and the crowded lanes of Old Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's enforcement drive against unauthorised construction and dangerous buildings is gathering pace. On Sunday, the civic body carried out 11 demolition actions and sealed four properties across its 12 zones for alleged violations of the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) and building bye-laws.

The latest exercise comes a day after the MCD carried out a larger enforcement operation, demolishing 33 properties and sealing five others for violations of building regulations.

The actions on Sunday were spread across several parts of the city. Demolition work was reported from Bijwasan in the South West Zone, Dilshad Colony and Dilshad Garden in the North East Zone, besides multiple locations in the Old Delhi Zone. Sealing action was carried out in the East and Old Delhi zones. While the demolitions and sealing operations form the visible part of the enforcement exercise, the civic body is simultaneously undertaking a wider survey of buildings being used as paying guest (PG) accommodation across Delhi.

Focus shifts to PG accommodations

The MCD is conducting a field survey of PG buildings to prepare a database of properties where such facilities are operating and assess their compliance with applicable building regulations.

So far, around 2,114 buildings operating as PG accommodations have been identified through the survey, according to the civic body.

The exercise could provide the MCD with a clearer picture of the scale and distribution of PG accommodation in the capital and help it decide on further action wherever violations are detected.

The survey also expands the enforcement exercise beyond individual cases of unauthorised construction to the manner in which buildings are being used.

For the MCD, the immediate focus remains enforcement against unauthorised constructions, dangerous buildings and other violations of the MPD and building bye-laws. The civic body has said that the action will continue across all 12 zones.

With demolitions and sealing operations being carried out alongside the city-wide PG survey, the exercise marks a broader attempt by the civic body to map and act against building violations

across Delhi.

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