Overview
- A three‑storey, under‑construction building in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazaar metro collapsed on Thursday morning, and emergency teams recovered four people from the debris while two labourers died.
- Rescue work involved Delhi Fire Services, NDRF, Delhi Police and MCD units and was hindered by extremely narrow lanes that forced manual debris removal and slowed heavy‑equipment access.
- Delhi Police have registered FIRs and arrested three contractors under culpable‑homicide provisions, and the Delhi government has suspended the area assistant engineer and junior engineer pending inquiry.
- Officials say the structure had no sanctioned building plan and that police had flagged unauthorised construction at the site in June, while early technical checks point to slab or centring failure and use of non‑engineered materials.
- The collapse follows several recent fatal building failures in Delhi and is likely to deepen scrutiny of enforcement, inspection processes and fast‑track construction ahead of seasonal bans.