Delhi's Chawri Bazar collapse: owner was warned in April, MCD report says

Two people died on Thursday when a building collapsed in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar. A report by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD, the city's civic body) now says the owner had been warned about the structure six months earlier.

What happened?

The building stood in Gali Sheesh Mahal, near Ajmeri Gate. On April 28, the MCD asked its owner, Samiullah, to strengthen it under the supervision of a qualified structural engineer and to submit a certificate declaring it safe.

The advisory had a clear condition: it was for strengthening the structure, not for reconstructing it.

On June 15, Delhi Police told the MCD about unauthorised construction at the same property and sent photographs as proof. MCD officials visited, but said they found only repair and maintenance work.

What does the MCD say now?

The civic body's later inquiry found a different picture. According to the initial probe, fresh construction was carried out on the second and third floors without prior approval, in violation of the April advisory.

The MCD report suggests the collapse was triggered when temporary supports under the third-floor lintel (the beam over an opening) were removed in a hurry. It says this was done out of fear that the unauthorised work would be shut down. The lintel gave way and the whole structure came down.

There is another detail in the records. On April 22, six days before the warning, Samiullah paid Rs 75,114 in property tax under a self-assessment scheme, covering six financial years from 2020-21 to 2025-26. He declared the property as ground-plus-four floors with a covered area of around 80 square metres.

The MCD says the building that collapsed had only three floors above the ground floor. It alleges the extra floor was declared to mislead authorities and claim protection under special laws.

What happens next?

The MCD has submitted a written complaint to Delhi Police seeking an FIR (first information report, the formal police case) against Samiullah over the alleged unauthorised construction.

It has also ordered structural safety checks of neighbouring buildings. Officials have been directed to identify other properties where unauthorised construction is under way.