NEW DELHI: A residential building in North Delhi’s Nehru Vihar has tilted repeatedly over nearly a decade, with residents blaming a faulty sewer line and alleging that repeated complaints to civic authorities have failed to bring a permanent solution.The building, which residents said is not more than eight years old, was demolished and rebuilt after it first developed the problem. However, the structure reportedly began tilting again within a few years and was most recently reconstructed around three years ago.
Building tilts again despite reconstruction
“The building started tilting because of a faulty sewer line. It was demolished and rebuilt once. Within a couple of years, it developed the same problem again,” a resident said while speaking to the media on Tuesday.The resident alleged that despite the reconstruction, the building had once again developed the same problem.“We keep complaining but no one listens. Before this, no government body, neither the Jal Board nor the MCD, carried out proper maintenance,” the resident alleged.The resident further claimed that at least 400 dwellings in the nearby F Block of Gandhi Vihar were tilting in one direction or another.The Delhi Jal Board and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi did not immediately respond to queries.
Satya Niketan collapse puts building safety under focus
The issue has come into focus days after a five-storey building in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed on Sunday, killing at least seven people and injuring five others.The incident has renewed concerns over unauthorised construction and the condition of ageing and dilapidated buildings across the capital.Meanwhile, MCD officials said the building adjoining the collapsed Satya Niketan structure had been declared dangerous and was being evacuated as it housed a girls’ PG.“The students had already left the building. They are just collecting their possessions,” an MCD official said.Officials said the controlled demolition of Building No. 13 would commence soon.(With PTI inputs)
