New Delhi, Nov 5 The three-storey building which collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Thursday, killing two people, was allegedly being constructed in a hurry in view of the seasonal ban on construction activities, with residents claiming that upper floors were being constructed before the concrete below had sufficiently set.
The three-storey building, coming up in the crammed Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar metro station, was among the several structures that residents said reflects the precarity of the densely populated neighbourhood, where ageing, dilapidated houses stand cheek by jowl with newly constructed multi-storey buildings.
Smaller homes have increasingly been pulled down to make way for taller structures, while additional floors are being added to existing buildings, often without residents being sure whether the original structures can bear the extra load.
Residents said the construction of the building which collapsed began around 4 months ago and gathered pace in the days leading up to November 1, when Delhi’s seasonal restrictions on dust-generating demolition and outdoor construction activity began.
Builders were trying to finish the project before the ban halted the work, they said, adding that the rush had left little time for concrete to dry and supporting structures to set.
A resident who had seen the building being constructed said it had a foundation, reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and pillars on all four sides. However, he alleged, the work was being carried out at a pace that did not allow the structure sufficient time to settle.
“Compared with several other houses in the neighbourhood, the building actually appeared to be better constructed. But they were in a hurry to complete it. The concrete on the second floor had not dried completely when they started building the third floor.
“They kept adding one floor over another without giving the lower structure enough time to set. When the third floor gave way, it fell on the second, then the first, bringing the entire structure down,” said 35-year-old Kamran Hashmi.
Residents linked the urgency to difficulties in procuring construction material, alleging that restrictions on the movement of certain vehicles into Delhi had made supplies costlier.
Residents said the building which collapsed belonged to two brothers, Ayyub and Bakatullah, whose adjoining building had been completed earlier. Three or four smaller two and three-storey houses in the area had been demolished to make way for the two buildings, whose construction began around the same time.
“Both buildings were being constructed by builders, and work on them started around the same time. The adjoining building was completed first, while the building which collapsed was being constructed,” he said.
The concerns, locals said, extended well beyond the collapsed property. The locality has several houses that have stood for decades and are now in a dilapidated condition.
In the narrow lanes, old structures with ageing walls and supports exist alongside newer buildings rising four or five floors, with little space separating one property from another.
Residents alleged that some existing houses had been extended vertically over the years, with two or more additional floors being constructed without adequate assessment of the strength of the original structure.
They said the practice was particularly worrying in an area where buildings are closely packed, and the narrow lanes leave little room for emergency vehicles or access to damaged structures.
A resident, Salman, said he had approached both police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) about a neighbouring building where two additional floors were constructed around a year ago, but no action followed.
“I had contacted police and the MCD when two additional floors were being added to a neighbouring building, but nothing happened. If residents report such work and no action is taken, who will be held responsible when something goes wrong?” he said.
Arman Khan, 28, whose family has lived in the neighbourhood for nearly 300 years, said the locality had changed considerably over the years, with older houses being demolished and replaced by taller buildings.
The family that owned the collapsed property had lived there for decades but moved out several months ago as the old house was being redeveloped, residents said.
The replacement of smaller homes with taller buildings had become increasingly common, they added, changing not only the skyline but also the contours of an already congested neighbourhood.
The layout of the area presents its own challenges. The area where the collapsed building was situated is barely three feet wide at some stretches, with several other buildings standing so close that there is little room between adjoining structures.
Fire tenders and ambulances could not enter the lane after the collapse and remained stationed on the main road, while rescue personnel made their way through the narrow passage to reach the debris.
The MCD said the plot measured around 50 square metres and no building plan had been sanctioned for it. It also said no complaints regarding the property had been received. The material used was non-engineered and had not set properly, it said.
The incident is the sixth major building collapse reported in the capital this year, following similar incidents in Harsh Vihar, New Seemapuri, Satya Niketan, Rohini and Saket, which together claimed several lives and raised concerns over the structural safety of buildings in the city.
(PTI News)
