Building that collapsed in Delhi's Saidulajab was ‘booked’ by MCD, but no action taken

THe six-storey edifice that collapsed in Saidulajab on sat was unity of thomas more than 125,000 properties that the Municipal corp of Delhi (MCD) has “booked” – a label the civic body slaps on structures found to have violated regulatory norms – but against which authorities have taken little or no action at all, HT has learnt.At least 125,755 properties in Delhi have been booked as of May 31 this year, showed MCD records, and these buildings and their owners are liable to face a raft of penalties, including a halt on further construction, a curb on future transactions and the potential for further action.But in November 2025, the Delhi government allowed power connections to these buildings to be restored – a key penalty for illegal constructions that had been in place for decades. The government cited “public interest” grounds and pointed to long-drawn court cases.Building collapses on canteen, 6 killedThis comes even as it emerged that Delhi Police wrote to MCD in March about the plot and asked it to “verify whether the construction is per sanctioned plan or otherwise”. Police flagged the construction of a fifth floor in the building, according to a letter that HT has seen. However, MCD took little action on the notice. That building collapsed on Saturday evening, falling onto a neighbouring canteen, killing six people and injuring nine. On Monday evening, police said they arrested the building’s owner, Karamveer Zaildar, a 71-year-old resident of Church Road in Vasant Kunj, and booked him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligent conduct with respect to buildings and causing hurt.What are ‘booked’ properties?“Booked properties” are constructions flagged for unauthorised building or violations of building bylaws, zoning laws, or land-use regulations. This status means the property is on a list for potential action, such as demolition. Constructions without approval or deviations from a sanctioned plan can often invite a “booked” tag.A senior MCD official said that the property had been booked for illegal constructions, but confirmed that punitive action against it was pending.Also Read: A phone call helped save a man trapped in collapse rubble in Saidulajab“In many booking cases, we face legal issues and delays and effective action translates in around a third of cases. The said property had been booked, but that action might have been taken recently,” said the official.A senior MCD official said the demolition of unauthorised constructions on private land is handled under Section 343 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. “Private properties are booked, notices issued and legal action is taken. Once the property is booked, the owners are asked to demolish the sections or regularise it. Depending on the reply, further action – including writing to power discoms to snap electricity supply, sealing action and finally demolition – is taken up. In some cases, where courts are monitoring the matter, the action is taken on priority,” the official said.Last year, the Delhi urban development department informed the assembly that the 12 MCD zones registered 76,465 cases against illegal constructions between 2015 and 2025. However, enforcement action was initiated in only 35,842 cases – less than half.The assembly was also informed that 11,903 properties were sealed, and only 683 were unsealed after owners made the required rectifications.Most violations were reported in the West, Central and South zones. Saidulajab falls under the latter.Also Read: 'He was to come home for holidays': Dreams cut short as Delhi building collapse kills two friendsData from the MCD database showed the West zone has the most booked units at 18,603, followed by Central (17,698), South (16,612), Najafgarh (11,430), City SP/Old Delhi (8,272), Karol Bagh (7,233), Rohini (6,701), Keshavpuram (5,872) and Civil Lines (5,260).These properties were earlier to be denied power under Delhi’s municipal building provisions.But on November 17, 2025, the Delhi government said it would lift restrictions on electricity connections in booked properties.The state government issued an official order after chief minister Rekha Gupta’s approval on November 11, 2025. The government said the decision was taken in “public interest” to ensure “access to essential services under all circumstances.”“There were public complaints regarding electricity connections being denied on the grounds that the concerned properties had been ‘booked’ by the MCD for unauthorised construction. In several such cases, it was found that even years after demolition orders issued by MCD, no action was taken due to various reasons. Now even those booked properties will be eligible to receive electricity connections,” Gupta said at the time.“Lakhs have been living in these properties for years, but were deprived of electricity connections because of the ‘booked property’ status – causing inconvenience and, in many areas, leading to increased electricity theft. Depriving consumers of basic facilities is not justified under any circumstances,” she added.To be sure, as per a central government law, all constructions on unauthorised colonies from June 2014 are illegal, but those before that cut-off date are protected. However, all protections cease to exist in the event of any new constructions on such properties. Police alerted MCD about the construction of a fifth floor on the Saidulajab earlier this year, automatically qualifying it for a booking.In its March letter, addressed to the district commissioner of MCD, the station house officer of Mehrauli police station mentioned the address of the building – Khasra number 261, Lane number 5, Westend Marg – in a table and wrote: “Please verify the fact whether the construction is as per sanctioned plan or otherwise. Necessary police assistance will be provided as and when required.”A senior police officer said sending reports of new constructions in their areas to MCD officials – to ascertain whether the work is legal or not – is routine practice.