New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the family of a man who died after a building collapsed near Pul Mithai in North Delhi's Lohia Chowk area around the early hours of Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Manoj Sharma, also known as Pappu, aged 45. He was an employee at shop number 7A, owned by Gulshan Mahajan, and had been working there for the past 30 years.

The collapsed building, located at Tokri Walan in Pul Mithai near Bara Hindu Rao, had three shops on the ground floor and godowns on the first floor. The shops were part of the Azad Market area and dealt in bags and canvas cloth.

According to DMRC, the buildings, which were being used as shops and offices, were already marked as unsafe and had been evacuated before the incident. These structures were located within the influence zone of the ongoing tunnelling work for the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg corridor of the Delhi Metro.

In a statement, DMRC said it had sent letters on June 12, 2025, to the building owners, warning them that the structures were in a very poor condition and should be evacuated as a safety measure. The buildings were vacated accordingly.

To minimise risks during tunnelling, DMRC had also carried out subsoil grouting and added external supports at the site.

Despite these precautions, the buildings collapsed during the night. Rescue and debris removal operations began immediately with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Police. The area has been barricaded for safety.

The tunnelling work at the site is being carried out by M/s AFCONS. DMRC has said that a detailed investigation will be conducted into the incident.

Police have also registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation is underway to find out the cause of the collapse. (ANI)