Delhi Launches Probe into Mustafabad Building Collapse Amid Rising Safety Concerns

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the collapse of a four-storey residential structure in northeast Delhi’s Mustafabad locality that killed 11 individuals and injured several others over the weekend.

The incident has reignited urgent calls for structural safety, regulatory reform, and accountability in the city’s rapidly densifying unauthorised settlements. The office of the Lieutenant Governor has directed the district magistrate of northeast Delhi to submit a detailed inquiry report within 15 days. Simultaneously, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been instructed to identify and act against any civic officials who failed in their duties of oversight and enforcement.

According to officials from the LG Secretariat, the scope of the inquiry includes determining the structural and regulatory lapses that led to the collapse, including potential negligence by regulatory bodies or procedural violations during the building’s construction. Preliminary findings indicate the building, situated on a 550-square-foot plot, was constructed illegally in a high-density, unauthorised settlement lacking formal records within the MCD system. Emergency response teams from the National Disaster Response Force and Delhi Fire Service worked tirelessly through the night on Saturday and into Sunday to extract survivors and retrieve bodies trapped beneath the rubble. Among the deceased were four children, underlining the deep human cost of illegal urban construction.

Experts said that the structure had likely exceeded permissible norms by multiple storeys, given that only three floors, including the ground level, are legally allowed in much of Delhi’s urban fabric unless specific permissions and structural clearances are obtained. However, in many unplanned neighbourhoods, building regulations are routinely flouted amid lax enforcement and weak civic governance. Senior urban safety experts argue that the Mustafabad collapse is not an isolated incident, but part of a systemic pattern across Delhi’s unauthorised colonies. These zones, often home to working-class families, remain beyond the scope of structured urban planning and are frequently overlooked during regular inspections. Civic authorities have long struggled with enforcing building codes in such areas due to political pressure, lack of manpower, and complex property ownership disputes.

An official involved in post-disaster assessment stated that while the exact age of the collapsed structure remains unclear, its construction and materials did not meet basic safety norms. “The building was not only structurally compromised but also located in a congested area with no proper drainage or foundation stability. A detailed forensic audit will be conducted to establish the root cause of failure,” the official said. The MCD has also been asked to begin a fresh structural safety audit of multi-storey residential buildings, particularly in areas classified as unauthorised colonies or urban villages. The city has over 1,700 such colonies, many of which have developed in a vacuum of formal planning and regulatory oversight, raising concerns over the sustainability and safety of housing stock.

Urban development analysts believe that unless a comprehensive redevelopment policy is implemented, Delhi will continue to face tragedies of this nature. “We need a city-wide masterplan that addresses both the formal and informal urban fabric. Affordable housing, slum upgrading, and stricter monitoring of floor-area ratios must be integrated into any future planning mechanism,” said an expert in sustainable urban design. Citizens’ groups have demanded a transparent investigation and time-bound corrective measures to avoid further loss of life. “People cannot continue to live in death traps while the authorities blame each other after every disaster. There must be accountability at every level — from builders to bureaucrats,” said a spokesperson from a local civic rights collective.

Officials have indicated that based on the findings of the magisterial inquiry, criminal liability may be pursued against those directly responsible for the illegal construction, including the builders, landowners, and any complicit officials. The possibility of invoking the National Disaster Management Act or the Indian Penal Code provisions on negligence and manslaughter is being examined. While the city mourns the lives lost, the spotlight now shifts to the urgent need for policy reform that ensures inclusive, safe, and regulated urban development. In a megacity like Delhi, where population pressures drive vertical growth, planning with people and sustainability at the centre must become the new normal — not the exception.

Delhi Launches Probe into Mustafabad Building Collapse Amid Rising Safety Concerns