Overview
- Rescue teams from the Delhi Fire Services, NDRF, Delhi Police and MCD pulled four people from the rubble after the collapse in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazaar on Thursday, with two labourers dying and two others stable in hospital.
- Officials say the structure gave way during roof/slab work when shuttering was being removed and that non‑engineered materials that had not set properly may have failed.
- Police have registered an FIR against the contractor and the chief minister ordered a probe while the MCD suspended its junior engineer and assistant engineer for alleged negligence.
- The Delhi Police say they had flagged unauthorised construction at the site in a June 15 communication to the MCD and that the building was being hurriedly raised on a small plot over the past three to four months.
- The collapse adds to a string of recent fatal building failures in Delhi and is likely to sharpen scrutiny of enforcement, approvals and safety checks in congested market lanes during the Diwali season.