NEW DELHI: As many as 116 structures in the area under New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have been found with unauthorised constructions and changes since January. This comes at a time when the municipal body—for the posh central zone that houses the country’s high and mighty—is busy figuring out the reason behind two recent incidents of wall and roof collapse in Connaught Place.
“In past three months, 116 illegal constructions have been spotted in the area. Among these, 36 properties fall within the ambit of Connaught Place, and have been sealed for tampering with the basic structure,” a high-ranking NDMC official told The Sunday Standard. Following the collapses—first of a wall in the Block-C on February 2 around 3 am, followed by cave-in of an empty hall in a building 10 days later—several questions have been raised about the public safety.
The civic agency, which collects taxes and charges from the outlets and property owners in the market, claimed that traders in their bid to give their shops a fancy look revamp the basic structure of the building. After the incidents, NDMC began a structural safety audit alongside a visual inspection. To assess any signs of building deterioration, it had constituted 15 teams. Each team comprised three officials—one each from health, engineering and architecture departments.
Such illegal constructions are rampant in new restaurants and places mushrooming in and around CP and other markets under NDMC. Officials, who have issued notices to violators, said, “Illegal structures are mainly a result of changes in interior décor in order to make the space vibrant and attractive. Few properties have even dug up walls for internal wiring which has damaged the original property.”
Another reason attributed to the collapse of ceilings is overloading of rooftops with the weight of air conditioners, water tanks and mobile towers to name a few.