'God forbid if earthquake of significant magnitude strikes': Kiran Bedi flags Delhi’s unsafe buildings

New Delhi, Sep 9 (AHN) Following the Satya Niketan building collapse, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Wednesday shared open feedback on the situation, highlighting the growing problem of unauthorised construction and alleged corruption in Delhi’s real estate sector.

In her post on X, Bedi said, “A feedback. An open insight. We are all firefighting daily."

She said Delhi has expanded and continues to grow, "unfortunately mostly through corruption" and unauthorised construction.

“Ma’am, Delhi has expanded and has been further expanding, unfortunately mostly through corruption route and through unauthorised constructions. The scale is massive," she said.

She pointed to the large number of unauthorised colonies and buildings across the city and said there has been limited scope for legal and planned real estate development.

"One has to just look at the sheer number of unauthorised colonies, leave aside counting the unauthorised buildings," Bedi added.

Bedi further said, "There has been constricted scope for legal and planned development of real estate in Delhi. Vested interests have not allowed it so far. Just experience rotten regulatory system if you were to carry out construction in a legal and planned to meet a genuine need of housing of whatever use."

According to her, weak and structurally unsafe buildings are a consequence of distortions in the real estate market.

"Weak and structurally unsafe buildings are a consequence of market distortion in real estate sector," she added.

She also said the shortage of safe accommodation is not limited to students, as has been highlighted following the collapse of an illegal PG accommodation.

"Also the shortage is not just in terms of accommodation for students, as is being focussed now due to collapse of an illegal PG accommodation. It is in other spheres of building use too, including residential accommodation," she said.

Bedi also recalled the Lalita Park building collapse nearly two decades ago, in which several people were killed, and warned of the potential consequences of a major earthquake in the national Capital.

"One would have to just stretch one’s memory a bit and remember many deaths in Lalita Park about two decades back due to the collapse of a multi-storey building. God forbid if an earthquake of significant magnitude strikes, it will expose the system at a massive scale,” she said.

She also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the much-discussed building safety audit, saying it might result in action against only a few buildings.

"I am afraid the much talked about audit of buildings may not help, except some action on few buildings; only extortion rates will go up and extortion will remain a feature after the memory of the tragedy fades in a few days and this news is trumped by another eye catching news. Less said the better about the functioning of MCD," she said.

The former IPS officer also called for a fair investigation into the rampant corruption in the real estate sector with the connivance of those in power.

"It will be quite revealing if one fairly investigates the ill-gotten money made and assets (including Benami) made by politicians, employees whether of municipality or police or revenue or Jal Board or power utilities or judicial system, having connection to real estate development, and those who control them, and blackmailers and others who also fatten themselves through real estate," she added.