The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has demolished nearly 1,100 unauthorised structures over the past three months and has another 760 demolition orders in the pipeline, according to its latest status report submitted to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is monitoring action by civic agencies and state governments against unauthorised construction and commercial misuse across the country. “For a city as vast as Delhi, with hundreds of colonies and thousands of residential units, it may seem a gigantic task to cover all areas. The report also detailed a separate safety survey of paying guest (PG) accommodations, ordered by the Delhi high court following the Satya Niketan building collapse in which seven people were killed. The high court had directed the MCD to survey PG facilities across the city and report the action taken against those found unsafe or illegal.
The MCD had surveyed 1,523 PG buildings as of September 11, according to the report submitted to the Supreme Court. Of these, 1,472 were found safe, while minor repairs were recommended at 45 buildings.
The complete survey of properties in the MCD area is a mammoth task,” the corporation told the court while seeking additional time to complete the exercise. Three buildings were ordered to be demolished after being found in a “dangerous” condition, while 10 were found to require major repairs. The MCD told the court that its crackdown on unauthorised construction had “intensified” after the Satya Niketan collapse. The report also said action had been taken against MCD officials for lapses and acts of omission.
The matter could not be taken up by the Supreme Court on Tuesday as the bench did not assemble.
