Are Delhi Malls Safe For People? Back To Back Incidents Raise Safety Concerns

Several malls have flourished in the Delhi-NCR in the past decades with many located in key areas attracting hundreds of visitors every day. People often visit these malls to spend quality time as well as for meetings but the two back-to-back safety incidents have raised question marks on the safety of the mall infrastructure. Just a day before, two people were crushed to death after a grill fell from the fifth floor of Greater Noida's Blue Sapphire Mall. A day later, a portion of the concrete roof collapsed in Delhi's Ambience Mall. 

A big chunk of the concrete roof collapsed at southwest Delhi's Ambience Mall around 1 AM on Monday. There were no casualties as the incident took place past midnight and the mall was shut to the public then. Had it been the usual working hours, there could have been multiple casualties. Police said the roof partially collapsed in the mall's central hall around 12.45 am and there was debris scattered all around the section. 

Concern Among Public

The back-to-back incidents have created an environment of panic among the people in Delhi-NCR. Residents have expressed concerns demanding a safety audit of the old and new infrastructure. Amit Kumar, a resident of Delhi's Vasant Kunj, told Zee News English that he had visited the Ambience Mall two weeks ago on Sunday and it was bustling with people. "I am now afraid of visiting a mall. There should be structural audits of these infrastructures as any negligence could prove fatal," said Kumar. Similar concerns were expressed by residents of Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad as well. 

Lessons From Gurugram

It may be noted that the Department of Town and Country Planning in Gurugram was forced to carry out structural audits of many residential buildings following accidents at some highrises including Chintels Paradiso housing complex and NBCC Green View in 2022 and 2023. The residents of RWAs of Gurugram forced awaken the district administration to take a strict view of the safety of highrise apartments. While those were residential buildings, now the recent accidents have highlighted possible safety negligence in commercial projects like malls.