Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood on Friday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the New Seemapuri building collapse that claimed four lives, ANI reported. The District Magistrate (North-East) will investigate the incident and establish the cause of the October 7 collapse, according to the official release.

Source: ANI via Daily Prabhat

The collapse took place at around 3 pm on October 7, when a four-to-five-storey residential structure came down abruptly. The building had been constructed on a compact plot measuring roughly 20 to 25 square yards.

Three adjacent structures suffered major damage, were declared unsafe by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and were promptly evacuated, the release said.

Initial local inquiries indicate that demolition work using heavy, vibration-causing machinery on an adjacent unauthorised construction site triggered the collapse, according to the release. This initial indication has not yet been established as the final cause, which the magisterial inquiry is meant to determine.

The terms of reference for the probe focus on ascertaining the exact facts, circumstances and root causes of the collapse. It will identify violations of laws, building rules and safety stipulations by owners, tenants or private individuals, Daily Kiran reported.

Source: Daily Kiran

The investigation will also check for lapses or omissions on the part of government departments, civic agencies and their officers, recommend strict legal action against those found responsible, examine the implementation of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, and suggest permanent preventive measures to avoid such tragedies in the future.

What happens next: the District Magistrate (North-East) will conduct the inquiry and report on the cause, any building-rule violations and any official lapses. No timeline for the report was given in the release.