Delhi Minister Sood orders magisterial probe

New Delhi: Delhi Home and Urban Development Minister, Ashish Sood, has ordered a magisterial enquiry into a building collapse in New Seemapuri that claimed four lives earlier this month, an official said on Friday. The enquiry will be led by the District Magistrate (North-East), said the official in a statement, adding that it will also check for lapses on the part of government agencies and officials and fix responsibility.

Sood said, “This is a deeply tragic incident that has cost precious lives. We have ordered a magisterial enquiry to investigate every single aspect of this collapse. No guilty person or lax official will be spared.”

“Our immediate priority is to support the affected families, and our long-term goal is to enforce strict structural safety rules so that such an accident never happens again in Delhi,” he said. A five-storey residential building (House No. E-402, built on a small plot of 20-25 square yards) collapsed on October 7 around 3 p.m. in New Seemapuri, Delhi.

Three adjacent structures suffered major damage, were declared unsafe by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and were evacuated.

Initial local enquiries indicate that demolition work using heavy, vibration-causing machinery on an adjacent unauthorised construction site triggered the collapse.

Nearby residential structures in the area have also been found to be weak buildings constructed on tiny plots without proper structural columns or beams.

Sood said the magisterial enquiry into the collapse has the mandate to ascertain the exact facts, circumstances, and root causes of the building collapse.

It will also identify violations of laws, building rules, and safety stipulations by owners, tenants, or private individuals and also check for lapses or omissions on the part of government departments, civic agencies, and their officers to fix accountability.

Sood said the enquiry will also recommend strict legal action against all erring individuals, agencies, or officials and examine the implementation of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, and suggest permanent preventive measures to avoid such tragedies in the future.

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