NEW DELHI, Jun 7: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) razed three properties and sealed 12 others in a citywide crackdown against illegal structures on Sunday, officials said.
In addition, the government’s Revenue Department inspected 134 establishments across the city.
According to officials, civic authorities have intensified a crackdown against fire safety violations and misuse of premises following certain tragic incidents in the capital, including the fire at a B&B facility in Hauz Rani that killed 21 people, many of them foreigners.
With the latest action, the number of properties demolished by the MCD since June 1 has risen to 97, and the number of structures sealed to 126, officials said.
MCD has also issued 84 show cause notices to unauthorised constructions, 41 sealing notices and 33 demolition orders so far, they said.
An enforcement drive was carried out in South Delhi’s Khanpur and Sainik Farm areas on, following directions from the government to act against unauthorised constructions and violations of building plans.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government was working with the residents’ safety as its highest priority.
“The government is not only acting against illegal constructions but is also working towards developing a system that can effectively curb such dangerous and unauthorised constructions in the future. Its objective is to ensure that no building, commercial establishment or public-use facility operates in Delhi if it poses a risk to people’s lives and property,” Gupta said, according to a statement.
The government’s policy on illegal construction is “absolutely clear,” she asserted.
“Violations of the ground-plus-five limit and prescribed construction norms will not be accepted under any circumstances in the capital. If any individual, builder or institution undertakes construction in violation of the rules, strict action will be taken in accordance with the law. No one will be allowed to put people’s lives at risk,” Gupta said.
Meanwhile, in a city-wide drive, the government’s revenue department inspected 134 sites across on Sunday, issuing a slew of show cause notices, closure orders, and structural sealings to commercial hubs, educational institutions, and hospitality venues violating fire safety norms and building byelaws.
According to officials, West Delhi was a major focal point with 31 inspections.
An enforcement team issued notices to multiple local hotels for unauthorised construction and missing clearances, while a bed-and-breakfast facility was pulled up for running excess rooms and hiding its fire extinguisher.
A local coaching institute, an engineering institute, a library, and 12 playschools in the area were booked for operating entirely without fire no-objection certificates, or NOCs.
Simultaneously, 11 sites in Central Delhi’s commercial sectors faced strict action.
A local garden venue was shut down for lacking a fire NOC, while four hotels were sealed due to blocked emergency exits, expired cylinders, and locked basements. Two hotels were penalised for exposed wiring and missing emergency maps.
The crackdown extended across various zones in Delhi.
Show cause notices were served to 13 locations in the North-West District, including a banquet hall, a stay home, a car showroom, and a property dealing office, for using unauthorised basements or mezzanines and deviating from sanctioned plans.
In the North District, where 16 sites were inspected, neighbouring units to a fully compliant hotel, including three guest houses, were booked under Section 152 of the BNSS, 2023, for operating unpermitted rooms, officials said.
A local library and a school were flagged for missing basic safety assets, while two banquet halls were booked for operating illegal borewells.
In New Delhi District, four bed-and-breakfast setups near Connaught Place were issued show cause notices for licensing violations. They face imminent sealing.
Simultaneously, the South-West District issued show cause notices to 10 establishments, giving several guest house operators and a nursing institute a three-four day deadline to explain fire safety compromises.
The South-East District targeted six sites, with enforcement teams issuing show cause notices to four properties for unauthorised construction inside a protected riverbed zone, while another hotel was flagged for violations.
Meanwhile, in a joint operation carried out by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police and the Revenue department, encroachments by scrap dealers were removed from government land in Palam Extension.
South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the drive freed government land valued at around Rs 50 crore.
“The land has been handed over to the DDA and is proposed to be used for developing an underground water reservoir and a public park,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gupta said the government was examining long-term building safety reforms, including the possibility of introducing a third-party insurance mechanism for public-use buildings, guest houses, nursing homes and similar institutions to strengthen compliance. (PTI )
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