MCD orders demolition of building in Gandhi Nagar after it develops tilt
A four-storey building in Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar area developed a sudden tilt and was evacuated on Sunday. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi directed the owner of the building to demolish
the structure voluntarily, an official said.
The civic body has asked the owner to carry out the demolition on Sunday itself, failing which MCD will initiate action under applicable provisions, the official said.
According to officials, the building, located in Shahdara, was immediately evacuated after it developed a tilt, triggering panic among residents living nearby.
Police cordoned off the area and prevented people from approaching the structure as a precautionary measure.
An MCD team reached the spot and inspected the condition of the building following the incident.
Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation to ensure the safety of people living in the surrounding area, the official said.
The civic body inspected the structure and issued a notice to the building owner, according to former East Delhi mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal.
Aggarwal, who visited the site after receiving information about the incident, said he saw a crack between two adjoining houses and noticed that one of the structures had tilted.
After receiving the information, I reached the spot. I saw that there was a crack between two houses. One of the houses had also tilted slightly. Teams from the Municipal Corporation, police, and the fire department also reached the spot,” he said. Residents were consequently moved out as a precaution.
The Gandhi Nagar scare comes a week after a five-storey building housing a boys’ paying guest accommodation collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan on September 6. Seven people were killed in that incident.
Since the Satya Niketan collapse, MCD has significantly ramped up enforcement action against unauthorised, unsafe and dilapidated structures across all 12 zones of the city, carrying out dozens of demolitions and sealing actions daily, alongside a citywide survey of PG accommodations that has so far identified over 1,500 such buildings housing tens of thousands of occupants.
Police presence at the site and the swift evacuation reflect a markedly faster response compared to the circumstances preceding the Satya Niketan collapse, where warning signs reportedly went unaddressed before the building came down.
The area around the tilted structure remains cordoned off, with police continuing to restrict access as a precautionary measure while MCD monitors the situation. No injuries have been reported in connection with the Gandhi Nagar building, given the timely evacuation before any collapse occurred.
