NEW DELHI: Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood has ordered a magisterial inquiry into a building collapse in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area that claimed four lives earlier this month, officials said on Friday.
The inquiry will be conducted by the district magistrate (North-East) to ascertain the circumstances and exact cause of the collapse and fix responsibility for any violations or negligence by individuals or government officials, it said.
The four- to five-storey residential building, located at house no. E-402 in New Seemapuri, collapsed around 3 pm on October 7. The building was constructed on a plot measuring around 20-25 square yards, the statement said.
The preliminary inquiry indicated that demolition work using heavy machinery at an adjacent unauthorised construction site may have triggered the collapse due to vibrations, it said.
Three adjoining structures were declared unsafe by the civic body. The terms of reference of the inquiry include examining violations of building rules and safety norms by property owners, tenants and private individuals, besides investigating possible lapses by government departments and civic agencies.