Experts: Most Delhi buildings still lag on safety compliance

Millions of people across NCR were jolted early Monday morning by tremors from a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Dhaula Kuan, reigniting concerns over Delhi’s lack of earthquake preparedness and building safety norms.

- Paras Singh

Despite Delhi falling under seismic Zone IV—prone to strong earthquakes—urban local bodies have been slow in enforcing structural safety audits and retrofitting of high-risk buildings, despite repeated interventions from the Delhi high court. In June 2020, following court directives, the erstwhile municipal corporations set a six-month deadline for high-risk buildings and older structures to obtain structural safety certificates.

Nearly 4.5 years later, compliance remains minimal.