Delhi BJP spokesperson and Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch general secretary Praveen Shankar Kapoor has accused officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of “criminal negligence” in identifying unsafe buildings during the civic body’s pre-monsoon survey. He alleged that the exercise grossly underreported the number of dangerous structures across the Capital.
In a letter to Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi and MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, Kapoor questioned the survey findings, which reportedly identified only 19 dangerous buildings after inspecting more than 27 lakh properties across Delhi. He said the identification of only four unsafe buildings in the City Sadar Zone was “ridiculous” and failed to reflect the actual situation on the ground.
Kapoor claimed that, if accompanied by the Mayor and the Commissioner, he could point out at least five dangerous buildings on Church Mission Road and Khari Baoli alone. He further alleged that nearly 150 to 200 unsafe buildings remain occupied in localities such as Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, Sitaram Bazaar, Chandni Mahal, Jama Masjid and Nabi Karim. According to him, at least 25 of these buildings face the risk of collapse during the ongoing monsoon season.
The BJP leader also claimed that a detailed survey in other municipal zones, including Karol Bagh, Shahdara North, Shahdara South, Mehrauli, Narela and Najafgarh, could identify more than 1,000 dangerous buildings across the city.
Seeking immediate corrective measures, Kapoor urged the civic authorities to initiate action against officials responsible for the alleged lapses, restore the Municipal Corporation’s dedicated Dangerous Buildings Department, and make the identification, inspection and monitoring of unsafe buildings a year-round exercise instead of restricting it to the pre-monsoon period.
