Chandigarh Orders City-Wide Structural Safety Survey After Fatal Building Collapse
The Chandigarh administration has announced a city-wide exercise to identify structurally unsafe buildings, a day after a building collapse in Industrial Area Phase II killed two people. The administration also ordered a magisterial inquiry to determine the exact cause of the collapse.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav stated that the incident has raised serious concerns about the structural safety of ageing and dilapidated buildings in the city, particularly those undergoing renovation. Preliminary information suggests that renovation work was underway in the building at the time of its collapse.
The inquiry will be conducted by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (East), who will be assisted by officials from the Building Branch of the Estate Office and the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh administration. The administration has not yet released details on the timeline for the survey or the number of buildings to be inspected.
Local residents and civic groups have called for stricter enforcement of building codes and regular inspections to prevent such tragedies. The collapse marks the second such incident in the region in recent months, prompting renewed debate about urban safety standards.
