Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 10 : The Varanasi Municipal Corporation on Thursday issued notices to 489 houses in a dilapidated state after a house undergoing repair work in the Devnathpura area of Varanasi suddenly collapsed yesterday.
Varanasi Municipal Corporation PRO Sandeep Srivastava said that there has been no loss of life due to the incident; however, the Corporation has urged the councillors from all wards to identify and report all the dilapidated houses in their respective areas.
"An incident occurred yesterday in Devnathpura where a house collapsed while the owner was having it repaired; there was no loss of life. The Municipal Corporation has cleared the debris. Councillors from all wards have been urged to identify dilapidated houses in their respective areas and inform the Municipal Corporation," he said.
Srivastava further noted that the Municipal Corporation have identified 489 houses in such ill-maintained condition and has issued notices to the owners to repair the buildings. Negligence or failure to do so will result in demolition of the properties.  
“Varanasi is an ancient city; within its established neighbourhoods, a significant number of buildings have been identified as dilapidated. Municipal Corporation records currently list 489 houses in a dilapidated state. Notices have been issued to all these property owners, instructing them to either repair their buildings or, if unable to do so, write to the Varanasi Municipal Corporation. The Corporation would then prepare an estimate, demolish the structure, and recover the prescribed charges," he said. 
Furthermore, Srivastava said that the owner of the property in Devnathpura was in the process of demolition and reconstruction; however, it collapsed suddenly.
"Occasionally, property owners do come forward to undertake such work. As for the incident that occurred yesterday in Devnathpura, I consulted our Executive Engineer regarding the current situation. He reported that the property owner was in the process of demolishing the building for repairs when it suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, there was no loss of life or property. The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has since cleared the debris from the site,” he said.