Buildings collapsing like cards in the capital: 3 years, 9 major accidents and 51 lives lost

The country’s capital Delhi, which is promoted as a world-class smart city and a safe metropolis, has a bloody network of illegal, dilapidated and non-standard buildings growing on its chest, which is becoming a graveyard for innocent citizens every day. Nine major multi-storey building collapses have been reported in various densely populated areas of Delhi in the last three years, resulting in the tragic death of 51 innocent civilians—including small children, women and elderly people—under the debris, while more than 120 people have become disabled for life.

Every time a building collapses like a deck of cards, there is an outcry, NDRF and fire brigades rush in, mutilated bodies are pulled out from the debris and governments fulfill their duties by announcing compensation and ordering a magisterial inquiry. But after a few weeks, when the dust settles, the same deadly system becomes active again. The question is, how are these ‘buildings of death’ being erected right under the nose of the law and security agencies in Delhi, the most powerful administrative center of the country, and when will the system responsible for this bloody negligence finally wake up?

The problem of dangerous and illegal construction in Delhi is not limited to any one locality, rather it has taken the form of an organized syndicate in the entire capital. The situation is most explosive in North-East Delhi (Seelampur, Jaffrabad, Seelampur, Mustafabad, Bhajanpura), historical areas of Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, Lahori Gate, Kashmiri Gate), Central Delhi (Karol Bagh, Paharganj) and unauthorized colonies of Bawana and Narela in outer Delhi.

In these areas, on small plots of 25 to 50 square yards, where technically only ground floor and first floor (Ground + 1) should be allowed, the local builder mafia erects 5 to 6 storey buildings.

• Without pillars and weak foundation: Neither earthquake resistant pillar technology is used in these buildings nor any scientific investigation of the load bearing capacity of the soil is done.

• Poor construction materials: To save costs and earn profits, low quality cement, low thickness bars and local bricks are used extensively.

• Trap-like buildings in narrow streets: The narrow streets, 3 to 4 feet wide, have sloping buildings standing 60 to 70 feet high on either side. If even one of these buildings collapses, it turns two-three other nearby houses into debris along with it, due to which even the vehicles of the rescue team are not able to reach the spot.

The construction of any building in Delhi cannot remain hidden from the eyes of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the local police station. Despite this, if illegal floors are being erected in every nook and corner of the capital, then the alleged nexus of lower level officials of the Municipal Corporation, engineers of the building department and the local police is an open secret behind this.

Every year before the onset of monsoon, the Municipal Corporation conducts a formal ‘Pre-Monsoon Survey’, in which a few dozen buildings across the city are declared ‘dangerous’ and notices are pasted in red ink on them for repairs. But the reality is that after these notices, those buildings are never evacuated nor are they demolished safely.

Local residents seriously allege that whenever any new illegal construction starts, representatives of the concerned department arrive only to settle ‘levy’ and ‘commission per loaner’. As long as the wheel of bribery keeps turning, the construction work continues 24 hours a day without getting the map passed. When the building collapses, files are searched to prove that “we had already given notice”, so that the officials can save their necks.

According to engineering and structural experts, there are four major structural and technical reasons directly responsible for the frequent collapse of buildings in Delhi:

• 1. Uncontrolled and dangerous excavation of basement: In recent years, due to the greed for parking and commercial warehouses, 15 to 20 feet deep basements are being dug right next to the old houses. Due to this heavy excavation done without ‘Shoring & Underpinning’, the foundation soil of the old houses in the neighborhood shifts and the entire building suddenly collapses.

• 2. Drainage Failure and Constant Seepage: In old and dense settlements, water from sewers and drains keeps flowing on the roads. This dirty water slowly seeps into the ground and hollows out the foundations of old buildings. Due to moisture the bricks melt and the foundation starts sinking.

• 3. Additional load on roofs and towers: On 30-40 year old weak roofs, people without thinking install heavy water tanks, mobile towers or heavy generator sets, the weight of which the building structure cannot bear.

• 4. Danger of Seismic Zone IV: The whole of Delhi falls in ‘Seismic Zone IV’ with high risk of earthquake. Here, if there is an earthquake of even mild intensity or there is vibration due to the passing of metro and heavy vehicles nearby, then the weak buildings automatically reach the verge of collapse.

A fixed and senseless pattern of building collapse accidents has developed in Delhi. As soon as the accident occurs, the police register an FIR against the unknown builder or landlord under sections of culpable homicide (section 105 BNS) and negligence. The Chief Minister or Lieutenant Governor (LG) announces an ex-gratia of ₹2 to ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured. The opposition makes allegations and counter-allegations on the ruling party and the ruling party on the Municipal Corporation.

But in this entire exercise the question that is never asked is:

• Were the Junior Engineer (JE), Assistant Engineer (AE) and Beat Constable of the area where this multi-storey illegal building was coming up, sitting with a blind eye?

• Has any corrupt official ever had his property confiscated or been sent to jail after finding him guilty of conspiracy to commit murder?

• Were the licenses of contractors and unregistered architects operating in those unauthorized colonies cancelled?

Unless the criminal liability of the top officials of the corrupt system is fixed and they are not sent behind the bars, this bloody process will never stop just by distributing compensation.

What is now needed is immediate and drastic administrative surgery to free the capital from the clutches of these ‘buildings of death’ and wake up the system that is still sleeping after 51 deaths:

• Mandatory Third-Party Structural Audit: Delhi government and MCD should conduct mandatory ‘structural safety audit’ of every building above 3 storeys in old and dense settlements in collaboration with reputed technical institutions like IIT Delhi or CBRI.

• Geo-tagging and satellite monitoring: Satellite and drone mapping of every new construction taking place in Delhi should be done. If construction is visible even an inch more than the approved master plan or map, then automated sealing action should be taken immediately.

• Direct accountability and dismissal of officers: In the area where illegal building construction is found, the JE and police officers of the concerned area should be suspended with immediate effect and an FIR should be registered against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

• Strict fast-track laws: Illegal construction should be declared a non-bailable offence, with a legal provision to confiscate the entire property of the guilty builder and land owner and invest it in the rehabilitation of the victims.

• Citizen Complaint and Vigilance Portal: An independent helpline number and mobile app should be started where common citizens can give secret information about dangerous illegal construction taking place in their neighborhood directly to the Vigilance Directorate, without any fear of revealing their identity.

The people of Delhi are no longer going to be satisfied with mere empty assurances and compensation cheques. The loss of 51 lives in 3 years is not an ordinary accident but an institutional crime committed due to administrative negligence. If the system still does not wake up, then in the coming days many more innocents will continue to be buried in these concrete cemeteries.