The Supreme Court has directed civic authorities in Delhi-NCR to take immediate action against unauthorised constructions while expressing serious concern over recent fire tragedies in Delhi and Lucknow. During proceedings held earlier this week, a bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan warned that senior officials of municipal bodies would be held personally liable if they failed to comply with the court’s directions on illegal buildings and fire safety. 
The bench summoned senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Gurugram civic authorities and the Lucknow civic body, stating that it was dissatisfied with their repeated failure to implement directions issued by the court over the past two years. The judges observed that no effective action had been taken on their May 20 directions relating to sealing, demolition or other legal measures against unauthorised structures. 
Emphasising that no laxity by civic authorities would be tolerated, the court took on record status reports submitted by senior advocate Ajit Sinha, who had been appointed amicus curiae to examine fire safety strategies in Delhi and Lucknow as well as action against unauthorised constructions. The bench also cautioned that it could initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against authorities that continued to disregard its earlier orders. 
Sinha informed the court that the recent fires in Delhi's Malviya Nagar and Lucknow were the result of multiple failures rather than a single cause. He stated that the June 3 blaze in a narrow multi-storey building operating as a stay bed and breakfast with a restaurant on the ground floor claimed 23 lives, most of them foreign nationals from Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia, Liberia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. More than 50 people were rescued, many of whom had relatives receiving treatment at nearby Max and PSRI hospitals. 
Referring to the June 22 fire in Lucknow's Aliganj area, Sinha told the court that the incident claimed 15 lives, most of whom were students aged between 16 and 25 years, while several others sustained injuries. 
The bench noted that it had already issued specific directions regarding unauthorised constructions in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar and ordered that such structures be demolished immediately wherever necessary to prevent similar incidents. The court also expressed concern over the MCD's failure to comply with directives issued in 2024 and again on May 20. 
Although the Additional Solicitor General informed the court that some work had been undertaken and that a detailed status report would be submitted before the next hearing scheduled for August 4, the bench said it remained unconvinced by the progress made. It warned that senior civic officials could face personal consequences if effective action was not visible on the ground. 
The court further observed that apart from issuing notices to violators, authorities had made little progress towards demolishing unauthorised constructions despite being directed to complete the exercise within two weeks. It therefore ordered officials of the MCD to appear before the court. 
To strengthen enforcement, the bench constituted a committee comprising IIT professors and MCD officials to conduct ground surveys in the Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar areas for identifying unauthorised constructions and recommending immediate preventive measures. 
The Supreme Court also referred to media reports indicating that around 93% of buildings in Gurugram had failed to comply with prescribed fire safety norms. It directed the chief executive head of the Gurugram civic body to remain personally present at the next hearing and submit a detailed report outlining the action taken. 
The matter forms part of a wider pan-India inquiry initiated by the Supreme Court into illegal constructions, misuse of residential properties and unlawful land-use conversions. The court observed that the recent fire incidents had reinforced concerns over widespread violations of building regulations and regulatory failures by local authorities. 
Source - PTI