Chawri Bazar tragedy: inspected in June, collapsed in November

Seven people were killed and two left injured after an under-construction building collapsed in Delhi’s Chawri Bazar, placing the safety of construction sites and the monitoring of building activity in the Capital under scrutiny. The incident is among several building-related collapses reported in Delhi since September, including those in Satya Niketan, New Seemapuri and Harsh Vihar.

The collapse took place on November 5 in Gali Sheesh Mahal, near the Chawri Bazar Metro station, when a building under construction came down, trapping several workers beneath concrete slabs, iron rods and debris. Rescue teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) reached the site and began search and rescue operations.

The death toll increased as rescuers recovered bodies from the debris over the following days. The narrow lanes of the Walled City restricted the movement of heavy rescue equipment, and personnel had to remove portions of the debris manually using mules to carry the debris. The operation continued for several days as teams searched the collapsed structure.

Distraught families

The deceased included construction workers who had come to Delhi from Bihar for employment. Their families, who travelled to the national capital following the incident, spoke to Patriot about the loss and the financial difficulties they now face.

Sanjeet Kumar, a man in his mid-thirties and one of those who died in the collapse, hailed from Bihar. His family told Patriot that he had come to Delhi for work. His brother and sister-in-law said he had travelled away from home to earn money and support his family.

“People leave their homes and come to Delhi just to earn a living and feed their families. But look what happened to my brother. He came here to work, hoping to give us a better life, but he lost his life instead. Now, what should we do?” Sanjeet’s brother and sister-in-law said.

The family said Sanjeet’s death had left them with little expectation that any official action could change their situation. They said that while inquiries and government procedures might follow, none of them could bring the deceased worker back.

Also Read: Clean air comes at a cost, and Delhi caterers are paying it

“What can we ask for now? My brother is never coming back. The government may order an inquiry or take some action, but what will change for us? We have already lost him,” they said.

His relatives also spoke about the circumstances in which workers from Bihar and other states travel to Delhi for construction work. They said employment opportunities and financial responsibilities often compel workers to migrate, leaving their families in their native villages.

The family said the incident had raised concerns about the safety arrangements at construction sites and the responsibility of those who employ workers.

Left to raise 4 children

The family of another deceased worker, Laxman Mukhiya, from Darbhanga, Bihar, described the loss of their sole breadwinner. He is survived by wife and four children.

Mukhiya’s wife was among the family members who reached the site after receiving information about the collapse. She said Laxman’s income was the household’s primary source of financial support. His death has left his wife responsible for raising four children without the regular earnings on which the family depended.

Also Read: Chandni Chowk Town Hall collapse puts MCD in the dock

“He was the only earning member of our family. Now I have four children to look after, and I don’t know how I will raise them or manage the household expenses without him,” his wife said.

She also expressed uncertainty about meeting the household’s expenses in the coming months. The family said it had not yet received clarity about the financial assistance available to them or the support that would be provided following the incident.

Preliminary inquiry

The MCD’s preliminary inquiry into the collapse has flagged alleged unauthorised construction at the property and raised questions about the civic body’s enforcement action.

According to the inquiry, the building owner, Samiullah, allegedly carried out fresh construction on the second and third floors while describing the work as repairs. The civic body had issued an advisory to the owner on April 28 after noting the deteriorating condition of the structure.

The advisory asked the owner to undertake strengthening and corrective measures under the supervision of a qualified structural engineer and submit a structural stability certificate. It did not permit reconstruction.

The MCD subsequently received information from Delhi Police on June 15 about construction activity at the premises. Officials inspected the property and found repair work underway. However, the preliminary inquiry states that the owner later undertook additional construction without obtaining the necessary permissions or informing the civic body.

Also Read: Behind kitchen doors: Delhi restaurants and meaning of sustainability

The inquiry has also examined the circumstances surrounding the removal of shuttering from the third-floor lintel. According to an official, the removal allegedly took place amid concerns about restrictions on construction activity during anti-pollution measures. The lintel subsequently collapsed, triggering the building’s collapse.

The structure had a ground floor and three upper floors and stood on a plot measuring approximately 45 square yards.

The inquiry also flagged discrepancies in the property tax declaration. According to the MCD, the owner had declared the property as a ground-plus-four-floor building with a covered area of 80 square metres, while the collapsed structure was recorded as ground-plus-three floors.

Action against officials

Following the incident, the MCD suspended the junior engineer and assistant engineer concerned pending an inquiry. It also submitted a written complaint to Delhi Police seeking registration of an FIR against the property owner.

The building owner and three contractors — Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan — were arrested. The police are investigating the alleged unauthorised construction and possible negligence.

The MCD has also initiated inspections of neighbouring buildings through qualified structural engineers to assess their safety.

The preliminary findings have brought the sequence of inspections and subsequent construction activity into focus. The investigation is expected to establish what action officials took after the June inspection and whether they detected the subsequent construction before the collapse.

Repeated instances

Delhi has witnessed repeated building collapses over three consecutive months, raising concerns about structural safety, construction practices, and building monitoring.

In September, a five-storey building housing a boys’ paying guest accommodation collapsed in Satya Niketan, killing seven people — five students and two workers. In October, separate building-related collapses in New Seemapuri and Harsh Vihar claimed six lives, including a father and son. The incidents brought the safety of residential structures and construction activities under scrutiny.

In November, the collapse of an under-construction building in Chawri Bazar claimed seven lives, while a portion of the 160-year-old Town Hall building in Chandni Chowk also collapsed following heavy rainfall. No casualties were reported in the Town Hall incident.

The recurring incidents have raised questions about the MCD monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, particularly its ability to identify unsafe structures, detect unauthorised construction and act on complaints in time. The Chawri Bazar incident is especially significant because the MCD’s preliminary inquiry indicates inspections regarding the property before the collapse, yet alleged unauthorised construction continued.

Also Read: Botticelli meets Chamunda: one image, two worlds

Across these incidents, at least 20 people have lost their lives in building collapses since September. The repeated loss of lives has brought the issue of civic accountability into focus, with questions over whether inspections are sufficiently frequent, whether construction violations are being addressed and whether action against responsible officials and property owners is being taken before another tragedy occurs.

Construction approval

The Chawri Bazar incident has also brought construction approval procedures in the Walled City into focus. According to an MCD official, building proposals in the area are subject to specific requirements, including a no-objection certificate from the Delhi Urban Art Commission.

The official said this process differs from the simplified approval mechanism available for certain residential plots measuring up to 105 square metres under the Saral Scheme, which allows approvals without physical inspection.

Political tussle

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who is also general secretary of the Chandni Chowk Citizens’ Forum, alleged irregularities in the approval of multi-storey buildings in areas such as Matia Mahal and Ballimaran. He claimed that building plans for structures measuring five to seven floors were being approved under the MCD’s self-certification mechanism with local political support.

The incident also drew criticism from opposition parties. Leader of the Opposition in the MCD House Ankush Narang of the Aam Aadmi Party alleged corruption in the civic body and said repeated building collapses were putting residents and workers at risk.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav also criticised the suspension of junior municipal engineers, saying that action against individual officials alone would not address the problem of recurring building collapses.

The MCD is expected to submit a detailed report to the Standing Committee chairperson, Satya Sharma, after she requested an explanation from Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar.