The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ordered the immediate sealing of all illegal constructions exceeding four floors following the collapse of a five-storey building in Satya Niketan that killed six people and injured several others.
The civic body also warned that officials found responsible for allowing unauthorised construction would face strict action, including immediate dismissal. The orders will take effect immediately.
The building, identified as P-14 Satya Niketan, was being used as a paying-guest accommodation and collapsed on Sunday afternoon. According to an MCD report, the property stood on a plot of around 55 square yards and consisted of a basement and ground to fourth floor. It was reportedly constructed in the 1990s.
The MCD said there was no sanctioned building plan available for the property and that construction carried out in the basement was unauthorised. Officials also found no previous record of sealing or complaints related to construction at the site.
A senior civic official said permission could not have been granted for alterations to the basement of an existing structure because such work could compromise the building’s safety. The failure of field staff to detect the construction is also being examined.
Officials are investigating whether structural modifications, renovation work or other violations contributed to the collapse. A fifth floor was also reportedly not permitted under Floor Area Ratio (FAR) regulations.
The collapse triggered a major rescue operation involving the Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force and police. Several people were trapped under the debris, while students and local residents joined the initial rescue efforts.
Ten injured people were taken to the AIIMS JPN Apex Trauma Centre. Five were declared dead on arrival, while another person later died during treatment. Three patients remain admitted, while others were treated and discharged.
Police have registered an FIR against building owner Hariram Bansal and others as investigations continue into the exact cause of the collapse.
Satya Niketan was developed as one of Delhi’s resettlement colonies in the 1970s. Its proximity to Delhi University’s South Campus gradually transformed the neighbourhood into a major student accommodation hub.
With increasing demand for housing, property owners have expanded existing structures by adding rooms and floors. Civic officials are now examining whether such unauthorised alterations contributed to the building’s structural vulnerability and whether similar violations exist in other parts of the city.
