Hinting that the demolition of Signature View Apartments at Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar won’t be far away, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has announced that the water and power to the building will be cut on October 12. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had refused to stay the demolition and instructed the residents to leave the place.
Built in 2007 by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on 2.16 acres of land in Mukherjee Nagar, Signature View Apartments has 10 towers and over 10 storeys, with developed structural problems. The high-rise building was constructed in 2007, but cracks began to appear soon. Though the DDA attempted repairs, rust was discovered in the steel reinforcements. The building began to leak, and roofs and plaster began falling inside homes from 2018 to 2019.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi’s structural audit was roped in to conduct a safety study in 2022, which revealed that the building was unsafe as the reinforcements were corroded and columns, beams, and slabs were weakened. Following this, the Delhi High Court on September 17 ordered evacuation, setting October 12, 2025, as the final deadline with no stay on demolition.
The court also directed the DDA to pay rent retrospectively at Rs 50,000 per month for a three-bedroom flat with a 10 per cent annual increase but residents claim this was below market rates. Cases were also filed against 32 officials and others, including DDA engineers and contractors, for negligence and endangering lives. The CBI is currently investigating the case.
Residents reported that approximately 210 families have already vacated their flats, while others are expected to move in the coming week.
Civil Lines Zone Deputy Commissioner Anshul Sirohi conducted a meeting in this regard, and the Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) was directed to completely disconnect the power supply and ensure that all connections to the flats are disconnected by October 13. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was also directed to cut off the water supply.
According to an official, notices have been sent to residents. “The High Court has made it clear that the safety of people cannot be compromised. We are bound to ensure that the complex is vacated before the disconnection of services,” he told Hindustan Times.
Besides power and water, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) will also disconnect the cooking gas supply.
The DDA has also started the process of hiring an agency to demolish the flats, hinting that the process won’t be delayed. |
