Dibrugarh Demolishes Illegal Building After Neighbor’s Death as Residents Decry Slow Pace

Overview

• Municipal and district teams began taking down the multi-storey RCC structure in Loharpatty using manual tools, with progress described as slow.
• By Thursday, roughly 20% of the building had been removed, prompting a fast unto death by residents who called the effort inadequate.
• The action followed the November 19 death of 52-year-old Salma Begum, who was struck by falling construction material from the site.
• The DMC said the building, owned by Mohd Yunus Khan and erected on about 7.75 lessa of land, violated the Assam Unified Building Construction (Regulation) Bye Laws, 2022 and was structurally unsafe.
• Security and safety oversight included the district administration, police, APDCL and SDRF, while protesters demanded the owner’s arrest, compensation for the family and tighter monitoring of illegal construction.