Chawri Bazar building collapse: What probes into previous Delhi tragedies found

A three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Thursday morning, with several people feared trapped under the debris, bringing renewed focus on the findings of previous inquiries into building collapses and fires in the Capital.

The incident comes amid a series of building collapses and fires in Delhi this year, with magisterial inquiries into previous tragedies repeatedly pointing to illegal construction, ignored complaints, regulatory lapses and inadequate emergency preparedness.

Reports accessed by Hindustan Times into the Saidulajab building collapse and the Hauz Rani, Palam and Vivek Vihar fires highlighted how warning signs were often visible but enforcement and emergency response mechanisms failed to prevent disasters.

In Saidulajab, where six people were killed after an unauthorised building collapsed on May 30, a magisterial inquiry concluded that the disaster was preventable. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had already “booked” the building for violations, but meaningful enforcement action had not followed.

Police had also alerted the civic body in March to verify whether construction, including the addition of a fifth floor, complied with the sanctioned plan. The inquiry found that MCD officials failed to monitor and act against illegal construction, ignored multiple complaints and did not enforce building norms.

It also flagged inspection records allegedly created retrospectively to mislead investigators. The report recommended mandatory structural safety audits, risk categorisation of vulnerable buildings, GIS-based mapping and digital monitoring to ensure that authorities act on violations instead of merely identifying them.

Four days after the Saidulajab collapse, a fire at an illegally expanded bed-and-breakfast in Hauz Rani killed 23 people. The magisterial inquiry found that the establishment continued operating despite repeated warnings and serious discrepancies in licensing and inspection records.

The MCD, Delhi Police, tourism department and BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd were among the agencies found to have contributed to the regulatory failures. The tragedy highlighted how inspections without sustained follow-up can fail to prevent disasters.

Following the fire, the government launched a citywide inspection drive involving district administrations, police, the MCD and the fire service to identify illegal and unsafe buildings. However, HT subsequently reported that the exercise gradually lost momentum after about a month.

Officials said district-level teams could identify violations but lacked the authority to seal properties, leaving enforcement dependent on other agencies. The Vivek Vihar fire, which killed nine people, exposed serious structural and fire-safety deficiencies.

The magisterial inquiry found that flats had been sold without occupancy certificates and that major structural alterations had been carried out in violation of sanctioned plans. Restricted escape routes, a locked terrace, inadequate ventilation and congested approach lanes aggravated the tragedy.

The inquiry also flagged shortcomings in firefighting arrangements, including the first fire tender’s water supply running dry within minutes. The March 18 fire in Palam, which killed nine people, exposed gaps in emergency response as well as building safety.

A Delhi Fire Services aerial platform was obstructed by illegal overhead cables, while the failure of the equipment exposed the absence of an effective backup plan.