NEW DELHI: An amicus curiae has moved the Supreme Court seeking a slew of directions, including the one asking the civic body MCD to file an affidavit indicating the survey conducted and action taken against illegal and unauthorised constructions in the capital.
The urgent intervention has been sought following the collapse of an allegedly illegally constructed five-storey building in Saidulajab area that claimed six lives and injured at least 14 people on May 30.
On March 25, a bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan, while hearing a matter arising from Tamil Nadu, expressed serious concern over widespread violations of building regulations and the alleged failure of municipal authorities to prevent unauthorised constructions.
Senior advocate and amicus curiae Ajit Kumar Sinha, in a status report filed on June 4 through advocate Govind Jee, has approached the SC seeking urgent intervention following the collapse of the building in the Saidulajab area.
The amicus report said that the building at Saidulajab was allegedly booked by municipal authorities on multiple occasions for unauthorised construction. According to municipal records cited in the report, violations were first recorded in 2012, followed by further bookings in 2015 for additional floors. Despite these actions, no effective enforcement measures were taken, and construction continued, with fourth and fifth floors added shortly before the collapse.
The amicus has contended that the MCD failed to discharge its statutory obligations by not taking timely action, including sealing the premises or preventing further construction despite repeated indications of violations.
He sought to direct the MCD to file an affidavit indicating surveys conducted and action taken against illegal and unauthorised constructions, as well as cases of unauthorised use of residential premises for all properties within Delhi. It also sought to direct the civic body to conduct structural audits of all premises within MCD limits and carry out sealing and demolition of illegal structures in a time-bound manner.
He also sought directions from the Delhi government and Police to file an action-taken report on the recent building collapse, including the alleged role of municipal officials.