Satya Niketan building declared dangerous, MCD orders demolition
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ordered the demolition of a building in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan after declaring it to be in a “ruinous and dangerous condition”, days after the collapse of a nearby five-storey structure left six people dead.
In an order issued on September 6, the civic body directed the owner or occupier of property number 13 to demolish the structure within three days of receiving the notice. The MCD said the building posed a potential threat to residents, visitors, passersby and adjoining properties.
The order was issued by the Executive Engineer (Building)-I of the MCD’s South Zone under Section 348 read with Section 491 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
The civic body warned that if the owner or occupier failed to carry out the demolition within the stipulated three-day period, the MCD would undertake the work itself and recover the cost from the owner as arrears of tax.
The action comes after a decades-old five-storey building in Satya Niketan, which housed a boys’ hostel, collapsed on Sunday, killing at least six people and injuring several others. The collapsed structure was identified as property number 14, according to the MCD.
The civic body had earlier evacuated tenants from a nearby building housing a girls’ paying guest accommodation after declaring it unsafe and dilapidated. The occupants were shifted to a nearby community hall, while the MCD said the building would also be demolished.
According to MCD officials, the collapsed structure stood on a plot measuring around 55 square yards and had a G+4 configuration. The building was located in a resettlement colony where permission had originally been granted only for a G+1 structure, while no approved building plan was available for the property.
with inputs from PTI
