Only 53 of the 2,457 paying guest accommodations surveyed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have submitted structural safety certificates, leaving the vast majority yet to complete a compliance exercise ordered after a fatal building collapse in Satya Niketan.
The MCD surveyed PG accommodations across its 12 zones last month after the collapse and was directed by the Delhi High Court to check their structural safety, construction permissions, compliance with building bylaws and statutory approvals. The civic body asked owners to obtain fresh structural safety audits from engineers empanelled with the MCD and submit the resulting certificates.
An MCD official said occupants and owners had been given 15 days to complete the survey and submit the safety documents. The civic body will wait until the end of October before beginning follow-up action, the official said. Reminders will be sent from next month, followed by action against defaulters under applicable norms.
The limited number of empanelled structural engineers is one reason the process is taking time, according to the official. Structural audits involve technical assessments of a building’s structural health, stability, safety and load-bearing capacity. These assessments can identify defects that may not be visible during routine visual inspections.
The exercise followed the collapse of a PG facility in Satya Niketan on September 6. The incident killed seven people and left six critically injured. Following the collapse, the High Court directed the MCD to survey PG accommodations and verify whether they had valid construction permissions, complied with building regulations and possessed the required safety and statutory approvals.
The current compliance figures also highlight an institutional limitation within the civic body. According to the MCD, it does not have an in-house facility to carry out structural audits, meaning the corporation depends on empanelled private engineers for the technical assessments.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, does not specifically require routine structural audits of all ageing private buildings, unlike some other municipal laws. However, Section 348 empowers municipal authorities to inspect, repair or demolish structures considered dangerous or ruinous.
Sources said the MCD and the Delhi government are working on a stricter policy for periodic structural audits and safety certifications, particularly for older buildings used for public activities. The MCD official said the audit process was expected to accelerate after the current exercise. The corporation’s next stated steps are to allow submissions until the end of October, issue reminders from November and initiate action against establishments that remain non-compliant.
