📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / W.carter
Local
Building Collapse in Delhi’s Narrow Alley Highlights Slum‑Like Living Conditions
✍️ Amar Ujala · Delhi
🗓 08 Sep 2026, 12:17 PM
👁 22
A multi‑storey building collapsed in a congested part of New Delhi, where narrow two‑foot lanes and spiral staircases host a thriving PG market, underscoring substandard living conditions.
A multi‑storey residential building in a densely packed area of New Delhi collapsed early Tuesday, drawing attention to the precarious infrastructure that houses numerous paying‑guest (PG) accommodations. The structure stood amid winding staircases and alleys barely two feet wide, where residents pay society‑level rents despite the slum‑like environment.
Eyewitnesses described how the building gave way without warning, sending debris onto the cramped lanes and trapping occupants in the narrow passages. Emergency services struggled to reach the site because the access routes are too tight for conventional rescue vehicles.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into possible violations of building codes and the illegal conversion of space into PG rooms. The incident has sparked a broader debate about the safety of similar structures that operate in Delhi’s overcrowded neighborhoods, where high demand for affordable housing often compromises basic living standards.
Residents and activists are calling for stricter enforcement of construction norms and the regularisation of rental arrangements to prevent further tragedies in the city’s informal settlements.
Eyewitnesses described how the building gave way without warning, sending debris onto the cramped lanes and trapping occupants in the narrow passages. Emergency services struggled to reach the site because the access routes are too tight for conventional rescue vehicles.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into possible violations of building codes and the illegal conversion of space into PG rooms. The incident has sparked a broader debate about the safety of similar structures that operate in Delhi’s overcrowded neighborhoods, where high demand for affordable housing often compromises basic living standards.
Residents and activists are calling for stricter enforcement of construction norms and the regularisation of rental arrangements to prevent further tragedies in the city’s informal settlements.