MCD demolishes 543 properties, seals 178 in 17 day crackdown after Satya Niketan building collapse

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has demolished 543 properties, sealed 178 others and issued 354 show-cause notices for unauthorised construction in the 17-day period following the collapse of a paying guest (PG) building in Satya Niketan, according to a compliance affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court.

The enforcement action was carried out between September 6 and September 23, 2026, according to the affidavit filed on September 24 by MCD Executive Engineer (Building) Headquarters Ajay Kumar Jain in proceedings before the High Court. During the same period, the civic body issued 205 sealing show-cause notices and 98 demolition orders.

The affidavit was filed in compliance with the High Court's September 7 directions requiring MCD to examine the permission and sanction status of buildings involved in the collapse, fix responsibility if violations were found and undertake inspection of PG hostels falling within its jurisdiction.


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Collapsed Satya Niketan building had no sanctioned plan

In a significant disclosure, MCD stated that Property No. 14, Satya Niketan, which collapsed on September 6, had no sanctioned building plan approved by the civic body at any point.

According to the affidavit, the ground, first and second floors and part of the third floor had been constructed during 1970-1980, while a basement and the remaining portion of the third floor were subsequently constructed in 1997-98.

MCD described the structure as a load-bearing building without an RCC frame, with brick walls measuring only about 4.5 inches in thickness. The affidavit states that the property had not been constructed in accordance with any valid permission from MCD.

The property was being used for shops on the ground floor and as a PG on the upper floors. MCD said the PG use had been continuing since 2007 after payment of applicable conversion charges on an annual basis.

The civic body, however, said that no complaint had been received against the property since January 1, 2026, and there was also no booking of unauthorised construction in the property in its records. It said no new construction was preliminarily found to be underway, although the owner had undertaken some repair or renovation work recently. The exact cause of the collapse could not be ascertained, while MCD apprehended that heavy rainfall in the preceding days might have weakened the old structure.

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Following the collapse, MCD carried out a detailed inspection of around 300 properties in Satya Niketan and found PG accommodation operating in 101 properties.

Three properties of Satya Niketan were declared dangerous and notices were issued under Section 348 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. The owners and occupants subsequently approached the High Court against the notices.

The affidavit states that while the notices were stayed by the High Court, the court directed that no PG should operate from these properties until they were found structurally safe. The PG accommodations in the three properties were consequently vacated.

MCD also identified 10 properties as vulnerable and requiring major repairs. Seven of these were load-bearing structures above ground plus three floors, while three were framed structures above ground plus four floors. Their owners were directed to obtain detailed structural audits through experts from IIT Delhi or Delhi Technological University (DTU) within 10 days and undertake strengthening or repairs based on the audit findings.

Another 14 properties were found to require minor repairs, for which notices were issued.

The MCD's wider survey across all 12 zones identified 2,453 PG buildings containing 32,247 rooms, with a tentative aggregate occupancy of approximately 50,529 persons.

Of these, building plans could be traced or verified as sanctioned from the records presently available for 730 buildings.

MCD said 2,342 buildings were found visibly safe, while 91 required minor repairs, 30 required major repairs and four were found to be in dangerous condition. In addition, eight load-bearing structures above ground plus three floors and 77 framed structures above ground plus four floors were identified for close monitoring because of possible vulnerability.

The civic body clarified that the figure of 50,529 occupants was tentative and subject to further verification and reconciliation of data received from different zones. It also said premises-wise scrutiny was continuing and action would be initiated wherever violations of sanctioned building plans, building bye-laws, permissible use or other statutory requirements were established.

The affidavit further states that five MCD officials across the supervisory chain were placed under suspension on September 7, a day after the collapse.

Those suspended were Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, South Zone; Ranvir Singh, Superintending Engineer, South Zone; Lalit Kumar, Executive Engineer (Building), South Zone; Sunil Chauhan, Assistant Engineer (Building), South Zone; and Ashish Kumar, Junior Engineer (Building), South Zone.

MCD said the Delhi government has constituted a Magisterial Inquiry into the incident. It has requested that the inquiry examine whether the collapsed building had valid permission, whether there were violations of building bye-laws and whether any MCD officers or officials were responsible. The civic body said further departmental action would be taken after examination of the inquiry findings and relevant records.

Separately, MCD said it had surveyed around 3.99 lakh properties across 670 colonies and 178 wards in Delhi over the preceding three months to identify commercial misuse of residential premises.

The survey detected more than 21,099 cases of commercial activities in residential areas, following which action was initiated against activities allegedly not permissible under the Master Plan provisions. MCD said around 30-40 properties had been sealed in such cases, while action against several others was at different stages.

The affidavit also records that, under the existing planning framework, paying guest accommodation is permissible in residential areas as an "Other Activity" subject to applicable conditions, including requirements relating to land use, building sanction or regularisation, structural and building safety and conversion or parking charges wherever applicable. MCD further informed the court that the Delhi government has constituted a High-Power Committee on Student Accommodation and Safety to examine the issue and prepare a regulatory framework for PG accommodations and private student hostels.