MCD chief Sanjeev Khirwar, at centre of dog-walking row, back in focus after Satya Niketan collapse

Sanjeev Khirwar is again in the spotlight, years after a controversy over his alleged dog-walking routine at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium. This time, the focus is the deadly collapse of a five-storey building in Satya Niketan, which killed seven people and raised questions about unauthorised construction and regulatory failures.

Khirwar, now commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, visited the collapse site and said a neighbouring building had been weakened. “Unfortunately, we have lost seven lives. We think the building next to the collapsed building has weakened, and it was strengthened through the night. We will take it up for demolition in a calibrated manner in the next 1-2 days,” he said.

He told the ANI news agency that the MCD had been acting against unauthorised construction in the area. The civic body issued demolition orders for three or four buildings there in August, he said. Over the previous three months, it had carried out 960 demolitions, sealed 407 buildings and served notices to 1,500 buildings for sealing and demolition.

“

Unfortunately, we have lost seven lives. We think the building next to the collapsed building has weakened, and it was strengthened through the night. We will take it up for demolition in a calibrated manner in the next 1-2 days.

Khirwar told Hindustan Times that officials had “zero tolerance” for unauthorised construction and that the building department would be held accountable in such cases. His comments came as the Delhi High Court questioned the role not only of the property owner but also of the MCD and other authorities in the collapse.

The Ministry of Home Affairs appointed Khirwar MCD commissioner in January. He is a 1994-batch AGMUT-cadre Indian Administrative Service officer. In May 2022, he was transferred from Delhi to Ladakh after allegations that he had cleared Thyagaraj Stadium and closed it early so he could walk his dog. Khirwar denied the allegations. His wife, Rinku Dugga, was also transferred to Arunachal Pradesh. Khirwar had previously served as Delhi’s principal secretary for revenue and as principal secretary for environment and forests.

“

zero tolerance