Two Labourers Dead in Delhi Chawri Bazaar Building Collapse
A newly constructed three-storey building in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar collapsed on Thursday morning, leaving two labourers dead and two other workers injured. The building gave way around 9.48 am in Gali Sheesh Mahal near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station, with initial calls reporting the collapse at 9.50 am from neighbouring Gali Sitara.
Specialized squads from the National Disaster Response Force worked alongside Delhi Police, municipal teams, and Delhi Fire Services personnel to pull four trapped workers from the rubble. Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh stated that two victims succumbed to their injuries while two surviving workers remained stable under medical care.
Casualty Identification and Search Efforts
Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45, both from Mandawali, died of their injuries, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said. The two injured survivors were identified as Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, who also reside in Mandawali.
Eyewitness Mohd Nayeem stated that neighbours heard a loud crashing sound around 9:30 am and initially feared their own home was collapsing. While at least 15 people were initially feared trapped under the debris, most labourers managed to run to safety as the building began collapsing.
Rescue teams dispatched sniffer dogs to search through the fallen masonry for signs of life. Rescuers navigated narrow alleyways measuring barely three to four feet in width, requiring personnel to carry equipment on foot past parked vehicles.
Construction Violations and Structural Failure
Civic inspections revealed that the three-storey structure stood on a small plot measuring approximately 50 square metres. A senior municipal official said that no building plan application had ever been filed or sanctioned for the construction work.
The collapse occurred while labourers were removing temporary support props beneath a newly laid third-floor concrete roof. The roof slab had been poured barely 15 days earlier, and officials noted that non-engineered building materials had not set properly before the supports were dismantled.
Structural damage extended to adjoining properties in the congested locality.
Administrative Suspensions and Legal Action
Following the incident, the Deputy Commissioner of the Old Delhi Zone placed an assistant engineer and a junior engineer under immediate suspension. The civic body cited a prima facie case of serious negligence in duty, noting that the property had never been booked for unauthorised construction prior to the disaster. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered the immediate suspension of the area's Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer, along with the filing of an FIR against the contractor following the Chawri Bazar building collapse, according to Devdiscourse.
Delhi Police registered a criminal case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the property owners and contractors. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site and ordered an inquiry alongside ex-gratia assistance for the affected families.
The incident occurred two months after a building collapse in Satya Niketan killed seven people, where police recently submitted a 638-page chargesheet against six accused.