New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will begin action against unauthorised commercial establishments in south Delhi, initiating a sealing drive against structures found violating building bye-laws and licence conditions, officials said on Thursday.
The move comes days after a deadly fire at a bed-and-breakfast facility in Malviya Nagar claimed multiple lives and exposed large-scale violations, including operating beyond permitted capacity and absence of a sanctioned building plan, according to officials.
A senior MCD official said the building where the incident took place had never been booked for any violation earlier. "It was never brought on record for any violation. The building plan was also never sanctioned," a senior MCD official said, requesting anonymity.
Officials also pointed to irregularities in a food outlet operating from the ground floor of the same building. "Under the B&B scheme, commercial kitchens or full-fledged restaurants are not permitted. Only limited hospitality activity is allowed," another official said.
The outlet, operating under the name Snacks and Bites, had earlier been granted permission for a tea-and-snack setup, but the licence expired in April, a senior MCD official said. "What was shown as a snacks outlet was, in reality, functioning as a full restaurant," the official added.
According to officials, the structure was part of a Lal Dora area where building regulation enforcement has historically been weak due to absence of formally sanctioned layouts. The building was reconstructed around 2012-13 and was being used for commercial activity despite being located in a predominantly residential setting.
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Earlier, officials had also flagged that bed-and-breakfast permissions in such premises are strictly limited. In this case, permission for six rooms had been granted, but operations were found to be running on a much larger scale, they said.
The civic body has now begun a wider survey of South Delhi zones, with officials indicating that unauthorised commercial properties will be identified and sealed in phases over the coming days.
"From Thursday onwards, sealing action will begin against establishments flouting norms in the South Zone," a senior official said.
Officials added that similar enforcement actions are being planned in other parts of South Delhi, where illegal constructions and unauthorised commercial activity have been flagged in recent inspections following the Saket building collapse earlier this week, which triggered a broader crackdown on violations.
A few days before the Malviya nagar fire, a multi-storeyed commercial building collapsed near Saket metro station, killing at least six people.
