One dead in building collapse near DMRC tunnelling site; probe ordered

A 46-year-old man died after a three-storey building collapsed in Azad Market, north Delhi, in the early hours of Friday, a Delhi Fire Services officer said.

The deceased has been identified as Manoj Sharma. “A call regarding the building collapse was received at 1.56 a.m. A team that rushed to the spot found a man buried under debris. He was pulled out and taken to a nearby hospital, which pronounced him dead,” said the officer.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has ordered a probe into the incident and announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the deceased’s family. The building falls under the DMRC’s ‘influence zone’, where tunnelling work for the Janakpuri West-R.K. Ashram Marg corridor is under way. A Delhi Metro official said the building was classified “unsafe” and a notice ordering the evacuation of all its occupants was issued before the tunnelling work commenced in June, this year.

The official said, despite the complete evacuation order, three shops on the ground floor and a godown on the first floor stocking running bags and canvas material continued to operate.

“It was clearly communicated that these structures were in an extremely dilapidated condition and therefore, as a precautionary measure, the evacuation of the structures was necessary. Accordingly, the buildings were subsequently evacuated. Additionally, necessary subsoil grouting and external supports were provided at the site to stabilise the structures and mitigate any risk due to tunnelling,” the DMRC said in a statement.

M/s AFCONS was executing the tunnel work. “A thorough investigation will be carried out by the DMRC regarding this incident,” the DMRC added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said Sharma was employed at a shop owned by one Gulshan Mahajan. A truck parked outside the building was also damaged in the incident, he said.

A case has been registered under Sections 106(1) (death by negligence) and 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and a probe is under way, the DCP added.