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Viksit Bharat cannot be built on crumbling buildings. We need to plan our cities better

Some of the finest cities across the world have regular structural audits of buildings and a foolproof administrative system. There is no reason why Indian cities should not have such strict regulations.

A dilapidated five-storey building undergoing construction had to collapse like a pack of cards to warn the government and the Delhi University administration that there are not enough residential accommodations for students in Delhi. The building used as a paying guest, or PG accommodation, in the crowded Satya Niketan area fell, snuffing out seven young lives. This tragedy is not the first in the history of the capital city.

Just three months ago, a major fire destroyed a hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, killing about 23 people and injuring several others. The place accommodated relatives of patients admitted in the swanky hospital across the road. Several such building collapses and fire incidents in heavily crowded places in Delhi have happened. Rescue operations are undertaken, most of the time assisted by the neighbours and passersby, politicians condemn the incident, government officials hold meetings, officials are transferred, charges are filed by the police, and, eventually, the situation is ‘back to normal’ once again.

Delhi reportedly witnessed over 1,130 building collapse incidents between 2022 and 2024. Media reports suggest that more than a thousand buildings collapse in India every year. While these are only reported figures, actual numbers could be bigger. 

Besides the loss of lives, when a building collapses, especially the one occupied by students, it’s nothing short of a shameful incident for the government of the day. One can easily blame the previous governments and book corrupt officials and greedy builders. But the negligence and apathy on the part of the political class of every party cannot be condoned. This apathy is probably due to the credit-blame calculation. Cutting the inauguration ribbon for a building gets them votes while enforcing regulations and........

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