A Delhi government-ordered magisterial inquiry has held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) "primarily responsible" for the May 30 Saket building collapse that killed six people, accusing the civic body of fabricating records to "mislead" the probe and cover up lapses.
The report, recently submitted by the South district magistrate to the Delhi chief secretary, concluded that the tragedy was preventable and blamed the MCD for failing to enforce building bylaws and act against illegal construction.
The inquiry found that the multi-storey commercial building near Saket Metro station collapsed due to unauthorised structural additions, including illegal third and fourth floors, coupled with poor regulatory oversight.
Giving a clean chit to other agencies, including the police and the Delhi Jal Board, the report said the MCD failed to act on a complaint about illegal construction received on March 9.
It noted there were no records of inspections, verification, demolition or any preventive action for over two months.
According to the inquiry, the illegal third and fourth floors were officially booked only on May 27, despite having been constructed nearly three months before the collapse.
The report further alleged that MCD officials created "false and fabricated" documents after the collapse, including a show-cause notice dated May 27 and a work-stop notice dated May 29, to "mislead" the inquiry and create a "false impression" that action had been taken.
Rejecting the MCD's claim that excavation for an underground water tank triggered the collapse, the report said the explanation lacked technical evidence and appeared to be based on assumptions rather than verified findings.
The inquiry recommended fixing accountability for field-level and supervisory officials, mandatory structural safety audits of old and unauthorised buildings, stricter enforcement of building norms, multi-agency inspection teams, GIS-based mapping of vulnerable structures, digital monitoring of unsafe buildings, risk-based categorisation, and immediate demolition or evacuation of hazardous structures.
(With inputs from PTI)