News: DDA Orders Structural Audit of Pre-2001 Delhi High-Rises-24-09-2026
All high-rise buildings in Delhi constructed before 2001, including malls, hospitals and educational institutions, must undergo structural safety audits, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has directed in a public notice issued on Sep 24.
The notice makes the audit mandatory for owners of buildings 15 metres or taller that were sanctioned before March 21, 2001, to be completed within three months. It also covers buildings sanctioned before that date that are under 15 metres but see high footfall. Group housing societies, educational institutions, hospitals and other institutional buildings face the same deadline. Owners or occupiers will bear the fees and cost.
Where the audit calls for it, owners must carry out retrofitting and other corrective measures, and the DDA has warned of action for non-compliance. The notice adds that retrofitting will not be treated as deemed sanction or regularisation of unauthorised construction or use.
The move follows concern over ageing buildings after incidents such as the Satya Niketan building collapse, which claimed seven lives.
