Signature View goes dark as deadline to vacate ends

With the Delhi High Court’s October 12 deadline to vacate the “structurally unsafe“ Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar expiring, authorities on Monday disconnected water and electricity supplies to the complex, with over 50 families still occupying the premises.

Officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Tata Power, Delhi Jal Board, and Delhi Police carried out the disconnection procedure following a September 29 meeting, during which the Civil Lines Deputy Commissioner directed that all essential services be halted to enforce the eviction. 

Gaurav Pandey, secretary of the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), said 286 families have already moved out. “Fifty-six families vacated in the last three days, and another 30-35 were in the process of leaving this week,” he said. “We had requested a two-week extension for the remaining families, but this morning we saw all officials deployed, and water and electricity were disconnected.”

Residents cite challenges such as finding new homes near offices and schools as reasons for the delay. Roopesh, 53, who is set to move into a rented flat in two days, said his family will stay with relatives temporarily. “By 11 a.m., police were here, and the connections were cut. We had stored some water in anticipation,” he said.

Another resident, Sandeep Gaur, 42, who is only moving out a day later, spent the day packing in candlelight. “We couldn’t find a painter in time to finish the new flat due to Diwali rush. This has been another struggle during the festival season,” he said.

The DDA initially set a July 31 deadline, which the High Court later extended to October 12. The court had also ordered the formation of a judicial committee to monitor the three-year reconstruction of the complex.

The move comes after months of delays and repeated extensions sought by residents of the 336-flat housing complex, originally built by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Soon after the flats were sold by the DDA in 2012, cracks began to appear and structural deterioration set in, with incidents of roof ceilings collapsing, plaster peeling off, and corrosion and rusting of the steel bars.

The 12-tower complex was deemed “structurally unsafe” by IIT Delhi in a 2022 report, citing severe construction flaws. Demolition was ordered following multiple expert assessments. In December 2024, a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court ordered the demolition of the towers, calling them “structurally unsafe,” and directed the DDA to pay monthly compensation to displaced residents. As mentioned in the order, the facilitation amount will increase by 10% annually until the rebuilt flats are handed over.