A day after the deadly fire at a bed-and-breakfast facility in Malviya Nagar exposed major building and licensing violations, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will begin a sealing drive against unauthorised commercial establishments in south Delhi found flouting building bye-laws and licence conditions, officials said on Thursday.
A senior MCD official said the building where the incident occurred had never previously been booked for any violation.
"It was never brought on record for any violation. The building plan was also never sanctioned," the official said, requesting anonymity.
Officials also pointed to irregularities in a food outlet operating from the ground floor of the same building.
"Under the B&B scheme, commercial kitchens or full-fledged restaurants are not permitted. Only limited hospitality activity is allowed," another official said.
The outlet, operating under the name Snacks and Bites, had earlier been granted permission for a tea-and-snacks setup, but its licence expired in April, a senior MCD official said.
"What was shown as a snacks outlet was, in reality, functioning as a full restaurant," the official added.
According to officials, the structure was located in a Lal Dora area where enforcement of building regulations has historically been weak due to the absence of formally sanctioned layouts.
The building was reconstructed around 2012-13 and was being used for commercial activity despite being situated in a predominantly residential area.
Officials said bed-and-breakfast permissions in such premises are strictly limited. In this case, permission had been granted for six rooms, but operations were found to be running on a much larger scale.
The civic body has now begun a wider survey across south Delhi zones, with officials indicating that unauthorised commercial properties will be identified and sealed in phases over the coming days.
"From Thursday onwards, sealing action will begin against establishments flouting norms in the South Zone," a senior official said.
Officials added that similar enforcement action is being planned in other parts of south Delhi, where illegal constructions and unauthorised commercial activity were flagged during recent inspections following the Saket building collapse earlier this week, which triggered a broader crackdown on violations.
A few days before the Malviya Nagar fire, a multi-storeyed commercial building collapsed near Saket Metro station, killing at least six people.