Picture of the Day: FAR Construction Causing Mayhem in Delhi Housing Societies

The RMN News Service urges Delhi residents to utilize both the “Clean House” service for housing society-related crimes and the RMN Consumer Rights Network (CRN) to fight against corporate fraud, misleading advertising, unsafe products, and, critically, government negligence.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | November 13, 2025

Today’s image captures a scene of perilous transformation within a Delhi group housing society: the ongoing, extensive framework of what is known as Floor Area Ratio (FAR) construction. This seemingly sanctioned development, under a dubious government scheme, is tearing through the fabric of occupied residential complexes, generating a pervasive atmosphere of chaos and chronic distress for hundreds of thousands of children, men, women, and senior citizens living amidst the rubble.

The visual, though static, speaks volumes about the relentless, multi-year construction that blankets these societies in lethal dust, noise, and air pollution. Delhi, already reeling from pollution-related health crises (with global research indicating pollution as a top killer responsible for one in seven deaths), faces an exacerbated threat from this unchecked urban destruction. Yet, the corrupt and seemingly oblivious politicians and bureaucrats of the Delhi Government continue to allow this destructive process.

This citywide construction-cum-corruption racket is reportedly orchestrated by local criminals operating as management committee (MC) members of housing societies. These MCs, it is alleged, collude with a vast network of crooked politicians, corrupt bureaucrats, complicit police officials, dishonest judiciary members, and a powerful builders’ mafia. Through fraudulent Annual General Meetings (AGMs) or General Body Meetings (GBMs), they secure FAR approvals, brazenly ignoring the legitimate complaints of opposing residents.

The system designed to protect citizens has, by many accounts, become an enabler of this systemic exploitation. From the Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS) office failing to penalize fraudulent MCs, to corrupt officials across the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Fire Service (DFS), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC), and Delhi Police – all are seemingly compromised.

Allegedly bribed by MC members, these authorities allow construction to proceed, even forcing ordinary flat owners to contribute lakhs of rupees, a portion of which is presumably siphoned off as bribes. Even RTI applications seeking transparency are met with stonewalling.

The consequences are not merely environmental. FAR construction is linked to fatal accidents, and often disrupts essential services like cooking gas, internet, electricity, and water. Yet, even in such dire circumstances, the Delhi Police and other officials reportedly refuse to intervene, granting impunity to criminal MCs who perpetuate dangerous construction activity. The judicial system, perceived as either corrupt or naive, offers little relief, with cases dragging on for years while construction continues unabated.

While investigations are underway against 10 named IAS officers from the DDA, RCS, and environment departments by the Cabinet Secretariat (under the Prime Minister’s Office) with a referral from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the construction persists. It is reportedly driven by a dubious builders’ mafia, which itself faces legal challenges for unfinished projects and lack of completion certificates. This complicity has rendered several housing societies “disputed properties,” further entangling residents in legal battles and financial fraud, often with MC members themselves becoming part of the crime syndicate.

This “Picture of the Day” is a damning visual indictment of a governance system that prioritizes illicit gains over public health, safety, and the fundamental right to peaceful living. It represents a crisis where the very institutions meant to serve the people are allegedly facilitating their torment, leaving residents trapped within a web of pollution, corruption, and systemic failure.

👉 You can click here to see more such pictures of horrendous conditions in Delhi.

To the residents of Delhi: It is imperative to raise your voice against this unacceptable state of affairs. RMN News Service urges you to utilize the RMN Consumer Rights Network (CRN) – a free and public-interest online initiative designed to empower citizens to fight against corporate fraud, misleading advertising, unsafe products, and, critically, government negligence. 

Housing Society Complaints: You can also utilize our online “Clean House” service to file your complaints against the crime and corruption being committed by the management committees (MCs) in Delhi’s cooperative group housing societies.

Your active participation is not just important; it is vital to demand accountability and enforce the fundamental changes needed for a safer, healthier, and more just Delhi.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.

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