MCD Razes 41 Structures, Seals 61 Properties Across Delhi in Enforcement Drive

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has stepped up its crackdown on unauthorised construction, unsafe buildings and violations of building norms, carrying out 41 demolition actions and sealing 61 properties across the city's 12 zones on Thursday.

The civic body also issued 32 show-cause notices and passed three demolition orders during the day's operations. The action followed Wednesday's drive, in which 46 properties were demolished and 20 sealed for violations of the Master Plan of Delhi and building bye-laws.

In the East Zone, teams acted in Khureji Khas, Jagatpuri and Laxmi Nagar. In the West Zone, demolitions targeted unauthorised structures in Paschim Puri, Madipur, Subhash Nagar, Vipin Garden, Bakkarwala, Nangli Vihar and Nihal Vihar.

At Paschim Puri in Madipur, roof panels on the first, second and third floors were cut down. In Subhash Nagar, a roof panel was removed and a toilet block built on the fourth-floor terrace was demolished. At Som Bazar Road in Vipin Garden, Uttam Nagar, a ground-floor roof panel was demolished, while a property near Aakash Vihar on Bakkarwala Road was completely demolished. In Nangli Vihar, a roof panel and two first-floor walls were removed, and in Nihal Vihar, Nangloi, two slab panels on the fourth floor were demolished.

In the Central Zone, action was taken against a G 5 building in Madanpur Khadar Extension, where four panels on the fifth floor were cut down before the building was sealed.

The civic body said more properties have been identified for enforcement and warned that the crackdown on unauthorised construction, misuse of premises and dangerous structures would continue in the coming days.

Separately, the MCD has completed a large-scale survey of buildings used for paying guest accommodation. Around 1,355 such buildings have been identified, housing approximately 27,000 people. The survey is intended to build a database of PG accommodations and assess the buildings in which they operate, with the findings expected to guide further action against facilities run from unsafe or unauthorised premises.

In another operation in Chandni Chowk, the MCD sealed 54 shops operating illegally from basements in Kucha Mahajani. The action was carried out on the directions of the Monitoring Committee and the Supreme Court, and covered properties numbered 1167/1094, 1165/1103, 1153 and 1167/1095.

According to the MCD, the shops were being used for commercial activity in violation of the Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2016 and the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, and lacked mandatory clearances from the Fire Department and other statutory authorities. The shops were sealed under Section 345-A read with Section 347 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.

The civic body said its enforcement campaign would continue across all 12 zones, with public safety remaining a priority while action is taken against violations of building and planning regulations.

The drive comes in the wake of the September 6 Satya Niketan tragedy, when a five-storey building used as a boys' hostel collapsed in the student-dominated locality near Delhi University's South Campus. Seven people, including five students and two labourers, were killed. The building, located opposite Sri Venkateswara College, was being used to accommodate students.