Delhi: NDMC to disconnect electricity, water connections to 66 private buildings for delaying safety audit

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These private buildings are situated mostly at Connaught Place, Central Market, Khan Market and other places of the New Delhi area and the Lutyens’ zone.

According to the officials, after the Arpit hotel fire incident that claimed about 17 lives, the NDMC directed a safety audit of all the private buildings. “Under the Arpit Bhargava case, all the concerned departments, three municipal corporations, NDMC and others were directed to conduct a safety audit of all the building structures and submit the report. Following which, we started the audit two years ago and only 66 structures are left to submit the safety audit report,” said a senior NDMC official.

In June 2020, a notice was issued to 1,243 buildings in New Delhi the area and they were directed to conduct a safety audit. Of these, 1,042 are private buildings, 176 government structures, including hospitals, 25 NDMC buildings and so on.

“About 85-90 per cent of buildings in the NDMC are safe. We have issued notice to the 66 buildings again for the safety audit. A list of these structures have also been submitted to the revenue department o the Delhi government and once they approve, we will disconnect the electricity. If the owners do not conduct the safety audit despite the second notice, the NDMC will seal the building and tag it as unsafe,” said a senior NDMC official.

“We don’t call a building unsafe just because the structure is closed or the owner has sublet the premise to someone else. In such cases, we give them reminders. If only they do not heed to it, would we seal the buildings. If any building collapses or an accident happens, the concerned engineers and the owner will be responsible.”

Besides, the private buildings, the NDMC is also inspecting all 3,000 government shops in the New Delhi area to check safety violations and encroachments.