Death Triggers Civic Crackdown on Dangerous Buildings; Notices Served to 48 Owners in Two NMC Zones

Nagpur: Nearly a week after a 52-year-old man was killed in a parapet wall collapse near Gitanjali Square on June 29, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has intensified its crackdown on dilapidated and unsafe structures across the city.Following the tragedy at Narayan Chambers, where Santosh Gaur lost his life in a terrace parapet wall collapse, two civic zones have issued demolition notices to owners of 48 unsafe buildings.NMC records show that 278 dilapidated buildings have been identified across its 10 zones in 2025-26. While notices have been issued in 247 cases, only 67 structures have been demolished and 33 repaired so far, leaving nearly 180 unsafe buildings pending demolition, repairs, court clearance or other action.Gandhibagh Zone has the highest number of dangerous buildings at 137, followed by Sataranjipura (30), Dhantoli (21), Laxmi Nagar (19) and Dharampeth (17). Many of these structures are located in densely populated neighbourhoods and busy commercial areas, posing a constant risk to residents, pedestrians and motorists.In Sataranjipura Zone, where a dilapidated structure recently partially collapsed near Nanga Putla, demolition notices have been served on owners of five hazardous buildings.

Assistant municipal commissioner Harish Raut told TOI that the owners have been directed to raze the structures immediately.Gandhibagh Zone, which houses several ageing commercial buildings, has also stepped up enforcement. Assistant municipal commissioner Ghanshyam Pandhare said notices have been issued to owners of 43 dangerous structures. “We are planning further action this week. Heavy rainfall can occur anytime.

If owners fail to act, the corporation will have to intervene,” he said.The issue has also reached chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. In a representation, property owner Jaykumar Shivaji Ramteke sought urgent intervention over a dangerously dilapidated building at Kamal Chowk. He said that although NMC demolished a hazardous portion of the structure in April under Section 264 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, the remaining part continues to pose a risk.

With a section of the property under a court stay, he urged the govt to help secure the necessary judicial clearance for complete demolition before another mishap occurs.The flurry of notices has, however, also revived criticism that NMC’s enforcement gathers momentum only after lives are lost. With hundreds of unsafe buildings still standing across Nagpur, every spell of heavy rain now raises the spectre of another avoidable disaster.