Following the collapse of a portion of a more than seven-decade-old building in the densely populated Shahganj locality on February 5, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has once again begun issuing notices to owners of ageing structures, warning them of the risks and directing them to carry out repairs, vacate unsafe portions, or undertake demolition wherever required.
The PMC maintains that routine surveys are carried out to identify dilapidated structures and that cautionary notices are regularly issued; however, many residents continue to live in these buildings, raising serious safety concerns.
Around 600 families are residing in nearly 100 severely dilapidated buildings within the Prayagraj city limits, raising serious concerns about the risk of sudden accidents. A large concentration of such old and dilapidated buildings is spread across around a dozen densely populated neighbourhoods in the old city area, including Shahganj, Rani Mandi, Nakhas Kohna, Himmatganj, Bahadurganj, Zero Road, Chowk, Dariyabad, Attarsuiya and Buxi Bazaar.
PMC chief engineer Dinesh Chandra Sachan confirmed that around 100 unsafe buildings have been identified and issued cautionary notices. He said technical teams—from junior engineers to field staff—regularly monitor these structures and report any structural changes. If a building’s condition deteriorates significantly, the corporation intervenes to forcibly vacate the premises to avert potential casualties.
He explained that routine surveys are conducted to identify other structures that may pose a risk. According to engineering standards, buildings constructed with quality materials generally have a lifespan of 100 to 120 years. However, many families in Prayagraj continue to live in buildings that are more than 150 years old. Several fatal incidents over the past two decades highlight the danger. In 2022, five people were killed and several others were critically injured when the balcony of an old building collapsed at Mutthiganj locality.
{{/usCountry}}He explained that routine surveys are conducted to identify other structures that may pose a risk. According to engineering standards, buildings constructed with quality materials generally have a lifespan of 100 to 120 years. However, many families in Prayagraj continue to live in buildings that are more than 150 years old. Several fatal incidents over the past two decades highlight the danger. In 2022, five people were killed and several others were critically injured when the balcony of an old building collapsed at Mutthiganj locality.
{{/usCountry}}Officials say action against such ageing structures is often delayed due to long-standing property ownership disputes, with many cases involving unsafe buildings still pending in court. The risk is further compounded by collapses at construction sites, frequently attributed to hurried construction, inadequate safety measures, and deep excavations that weaken neighbouring older buildings.
One of the most severe such incidents occurred on January 10, 2007, when a four-storey under-construction building collapsed in the Civil Lines area, killing at least eight people and seriously injuring more than 20 labourers who were living in the basement. An Army team was deployed to clear the debris. A similar incident occurred in January 2018, when a portion of an under-construction shopping mall in the same area caved in, burying and killing two labourers.
On February 5, in the Shahganj locality incident, three people were trapped under the debris, prompting an immediate rescue operation by NDRF and SDRF teams along with district administration officials, who worked to pull out the injured.
The issue is not confined to residential and commercial buildings. A 2023 investigation found that nearly 30 Panchayat buildings in the district—constructed just 20 to 25 years ago—had already fallen into a dilapidated state, well short of their intended 50-year lifespan.