Delhi’s structural audit drive has reached 1,155 of 4,762 high-risk or old buildings

MCD has received structural audit reports for 1,155 of the 4,762 high-risk or old buildings it identified in a court-mandated safety exercise.

The figures have gained urgency after the Satya Niketan PG building collapse. MCD issued notices to 4,571 properties, while demolition action was taken against 56 structures and 47 were retrofitted.

Delhi has about 3.25 million house buildings, MCD estimates. The corporation has no dedicated structural-safety audit cell or permanent structural engineers; it uses 249 empanelled third-party engineers. A citywide audit would mean more than 13,000 buildings for each engineer.

A basic audit for a small residential building can cost ₹15,000 to ₹50,000. MCD’s current dangerous-building surveys are visual, flagging visible cracks or leaning walls. Officials said enforcement is particularly difficult in the Walled City and unauthorised colonies, where notices often do not bring a response.

The Delhi government announced a policy for structural audits of vulnerable buildings on September 7. An MCD official said large assembly buildings, government offices, high-rises and older buildings should be prioritised for retrofitting.