Delhi building collapse: Too little, too late; Councillor says she had raised red flag

“Some people had vacated the building while some said they will vacate soon… Before they could, the incident took place,” she said.

North corporation officials, meanwhile, said the building was over 25 years old, and in a “weak and deteriorated condition”. And yet, it had not figured in a list of dangerous buildings following a survey of six zones conducted by the civic body earlier this month.

According to the North civic body, there are 181 dangerous buildings in areas under its jurisdiction — but none fall in Keshav Puram zone, where Wednesday’s collapse took place.

Explaining the limitations of such surveys, a senior official said corporations are dependent on exterior indicators like cracks or tilts to declare a building dangerous. “What the survey does not check is whether proper building materials have been used, soil testing is done and construction is up to the mark,” an official said.

“In case of authorised colonies, the owner has to get maps passed and building plans sanctioned through the corporation,” the official said. But that, too, is not required if the houses are built on land smaller than 25 square yards, he said.

District commissioner of the Keshav Puram zone, Pushpendra, said a committee has been formed to look into the collapse.