• Two labourers died in the Chawri Bazar building collapse.
• Four people were pulled out by rescue teams; four others were rescued by locals.
• MCD said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure.
• Police registered a culpable homicide case against the owners and contractors.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 6th Nov: Rescue teams continued searching the debris of a collapsed three-storey building in Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Friday, a day after the Delhi building collapse claimed two lives and left several people trapped. Authorities are also investigating alleged unauthorised construction at the site.

The building, located in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar Metro station, collapsed around 9.45 am on Thursday. Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) joined the rescue operation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the structure came crashing down.

Rescue teams pulled out four people from the debris. Two labourers, identified as Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45, died, while Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, were injured and are recovering. Four other people had been rescued earlier by local residents.

MCD flags alleged unauthorised construction
The building was reportedly being constructed on a 50-square-metre plot without the required approval. An MCD official said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure.

According to the civic body, construction had reached the third floor, and the building collapsed while the roof slab was being laid. The official said non-engineered construction material that had not set properly was used in the structure.

The issue of unauthorised construction had reportedly been flagged by Delhi Police in June. In a communication dated June 15, the Station House Officer of Hauz Qazi police station informed the MCD’s City Sadar Paharganj Zone about the construction work and identified the landowner and contractor as Furqan.

FIR registered against owners and contractors
Delhi Police have registered an FIR under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, against the building owners and contractors. Police are making efforts to trace the builders.

The rescue operation is continuing amid concerns about the stability of neighbouring structures. Authorities have restricted access to the area as teams work through the debris.