MCD has decided to pull down a structure marked for demolition which is adjacent to the building that collapsed in Mustafabad.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Sunday launched a wide-ranging crackdown on illegal high-rise constructions in unauthorised colonies and initiated disciplinary action against several officials for negligence and structural oversight following a building collapse in north-east Delhi’s Mustafabad, which claimed 11 lives.

In response to public outrage over Saturday’s incident, which highlighted violations of safety norms, the civic body announced it would bring down an adjoining building already marked for demolition to prevent further risk.

A survey has been launched to identify and seal similarly dangerous structures in the area, with 15 properties flagged so far.

The MCD has dismissed a junior engineer who served in the area between March 2019 and August 2021 and had faced previous disciplinary proceedings. Three other officials have also been removed or compulsorily retired.

Another junior engineer, posted since November 2024, has been transferred and issued a show-cause notice to ensure a fair probe. “The moot point is how such massive unauthorised constructions mushroomed in the first place,” the civic body said in a statement, adding that the matter warranted a detailed inquiry.

It also confirmed that the survey will continue in Nehru Vihar and other densely populated neighbourhoods, focusing on buildings with five or more floors where structural integrity is in doubt.

At a press conference earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party-led MCD Mayor Mahesh Kumar Khichi said he ordered the immediate suspension of officials responsible for the lapse. “I visited the site and spoke to the MCD Commissioner and orally instructed that the strictest action be taken against any officer found guilty of negligence… The entire system is riddled with corruption,” he said.

‘Stop sale registration’

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “I urge Municipal Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to immediately declare all buildings with fifth and sixth floors as dangerous, and stop their sale registration.”

Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav demanded a high-level judicial inquiry and a fair compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the deceased and ₹2 lakh for those who were injured in the accident.