New Delhi: A large portion of the nearly 160-year-old historic Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, has collapsed. After heavy rain, the roof of the building’s main entrance and two heavy beams fell on Saturday night. The entrance porch, outer walls and part of the first floor were also damaged in the incident. Fortunately, the incident occurred at night, and there was no report of any casualty.
After the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) cordoned off the entire affected area as a safety measure. Movement of people around the entrance has been stopped. According to officials, cracks have also appeared in nearby walls and there remains a risk of their collapse. Fire department personnel are present at the site and debris removal work is continuing. Officials said it could take several days to clear the entire affected portion.
Town Hall was once the main centre of Delhi’s municipal administration. Built in 1863, the Municipal Corporation operated from this building for about 145 years. Since the headquarters shifted to the Civic Centre in 2011-12, the historic complex has largely remained vacant. EVMs used in municipal elections are also kept here, and police personnel remain deployed for their security.
The building is a Grade-1 protected heritage structure, and the MCD is responsible for its maintenance. Over the past several years, plans were made to develop it as a hotel, museum, library and cultural centre, but they could not move forward.
In September 2026, an agreement was reached between the Delhi government and the MCD to develop Town Hall as a global heritage centre. The collapse of a large portion of the building has now brought the need for its conservation and redevelopment back into focus.
Hashtags: #DelhiState #Delhi #TownHall #ChandniChowk #MCD #HeritageBuilding #160YearOldTown #OldDelhi #TownHallRoofCollapse #Delhi160YearOld
