Two Workers Die as Under-Construction Building Collapses in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar

The collapse

A three-storey building under construction in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar area collapsed on the morning of November 5, killing two labourers and injuring others. The structure stood in Gali Sheesh Mahal, near the Chawri Bazar Metro station in the narrow lanes of the walled city. Police received a distress call at 9:48 a.m. Teams from the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi reached the site within minutes.

Roughly 10 to 15 workers were present when the building gave way. Four people were pulled from the debris early on. Two of them, Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45, both from Railway Colony in Mandawali, later died. Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, also from Mandawali, survived and were reported stable. Officials said the building collapsed while concrete was being poured for the third-floor slab. The plot measured about 50 square metres. No sanctioned building plan existed for the work.

Earlier warnings ignored

Delhi Police had flagged unauthorised construction at the property in a letter to the MCD dated June 15. The Station House Officer of Hauz Qazi police station informed the City Sadar Paharganj Zone and named a contractor. The MCD said it conducted an inspection and found only repair work under way. An advisory issued on April 28 had already warned the recorded owner, Samiullah, about the building’s condition and directed him to strengthen it under a structural engineer. The advisory explicitly barred fresh construction.

Investigators later determined that work on the second and third floors continued under the guise of repairs. The material was non-engineered and had not set properly. When the temporary supports were removed while the concrete remained wet, the structure failed. Cracks appeared in adjoining buildings, and residents of those structures were evacuated. The MCD began a survey of nearby properties.

Arrests and suspensions

On November 6 police arrested three contractors from Sirohi village in Faridabad, Haryana. The men, identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, all residents of Ajmeri Gate, were taken into custody under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The MCD suspended Assistant Engineer Mohd Naeem and Junior Engineer Aman Dalal for alleged dereliction of duty pending inquiry. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a separate inquiry and directed that an FIR be registered against the contractor.

Rescue work continued into a second day amid concerns about the stability of neighbouring buildings. Officials restricted access to the lane. The collapse occurred in a congested commercial area that sees heavy foot traffic, especially during festival periods. No additional bodies were reported recovered after the initial recoveries, though search teams remained on site.

Broader pattern

Unauthorised construction in Old Delhi’s dense lanes has produced repeated failures. The combination of small plots, weak oversight and pressure to add floors without engineering review has left many structures vulnerable. In this case the police warning arrived five months earlier and the MCD advisory two months before that. Both went unheeded until the slab pour brought the building down.

The two dead labourers had travelled from Mandawali to work on the site. Their deaths, the arrests of the contractors, and the suspension of the two engineers now form the immediate official response. Further inquiry will determine whether additional charges follow against the owner and whether the MCD survey leads to forced evacuation or demolition of adjacent buildings that showed signs of distress.