6 Months Before Delhi Building Collapse, Owner Got A Warning. He Ignored It

A trail of unheeded warnings, police complaints with photo proof, and blatant violations in the name of "repairs" led to Thursday's building collapse in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar that killed two people.

A report by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) reveals that the civic body had warned the property owner about the structure deteriorating six months back. Two months after the initial notice, police flagged unauthorised construction at the property located in Gali Sheesh Mahal near Ajmeri Gate. Yet, the owner went ahead with fresh construction across two floors before the structure came crashing down.

The first warning came on April 28. The MCD asked the building's owner, Samiullah, to strengthen the building under supervision of a qualified structural engineer and submit a certificate declaring the structure safe.

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There was a crucial condition: The advisory was for strengthening the structure, not permission to reconstruct it.

On June 15, Delhi Police informed the MCD about unauthorised construction at the same property along with photographs as proof. 

MCD officials visited the site but said they found repair and maintenance work going on at the site. However, the civic body's inquiry found a different story later. 

New Floors In The Name Of Repairs

According to the initial probe, Samiullah allegedly carried out fresh construction on the second and third floors of the building without any prior approval and in violation of the advisory issued in April.

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The MCD report suggests the collapse was triggered when temporary supports beneath the third-floor lintel were hastily removed out of fear that the unauthorised work would be shut down. Consequently, the lintel gave way, bringing down the entire structure.

An Extra Floor On Paper

There is another unusual detail in the civic body's records. On April 22, just six days before the MCD's warning, Samiullah paid Rs 75,114 in property tax under a self-assessment scheme. The payment covered six financial years, from 2020-21 to 2025-26.

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In the return, he declared the property as a ground-plus-four-floor building with a covered area of around 80 square metres.

But the building that collapsed had only three floors above the ground floor, according to the MCD report.

The civic body alleges that the additional floor was declared to mislead authorities and claim protection under special laws. The corporation has now submitted a written complaint to Delhi Police seeking an FIR against Samiullah over the alleged unauthorised construction.

It has also ordered structural safety checks of neighbouring buildings and directed officials to identify other properties where unauthorised construction is underway.