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NHRC
In a swift move underscoring India’s commitment to worker safety, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a devastating building collapse in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar district.
The incident, which claimed four lives and left several labourers injured, exposes glaring lapses in oversight of unauthorized constructions near the bustling Noida airport hub.
The Collapse: A Preventable Disaster Unfolds
On November 19, 2025, tragedy struck Nagla Hukum Singh village in Jevar tehsil when a three-story under-construction building collapsed in mere seconds.
Media reports detail how the structure crumbled from bottom to top as workers removed shuttering from the third floor.
Of the 10 labourers on site, four perished instantly, several others sustained critical injuries, and one remains missing, heightening the anguish for families in this rural pocket just 50 km from Delhi.
Eyewitness accounts paint a chaotic scene: Dust clouds engulfed the site as screams echoed through the village.
Rescue teams from the local fire department and police rushed in, pulling survivors from the rubble.
The building, erected without mandatory permissions from the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), stood as a stark symbol of unchecked illegal development in the Jewar airport corridor, a region booming with infrastructure projects but plagued by regulatory blind spots.
This is not an isolated mishap.
Uttar Pradesh has seen a spike in construction-related fatalities, with over 150 worker deaths reported statewide in 2025 alone, often tied to substandard materials and absent safety protocols.
In Gautam Budh Nagar, home to Noida and Greater Noida, rapid urbanization has outpaced enforcement, leaving migrant labourers, many from Bihar and Jharkhand, most vulnerable.
NHRC’s Decisive Intervention
Acting on a media report from November 20, 2025, the NHRC flagged the episode as a “serious violation of human rights.”
On December 3, 2025, the commission issued notices to District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh, demanding a comprehensive report within two weeks.
The probe will scrutinize:
- Health Status Of The Injured: Details on medical treatment, hospital admissions, and long-term rehabilitation for survivors, many of whom suffered fractures and internal injuries.
- Compensation For Victims: Any ex gratia payments to the next of kin (NoK) of the deceased, plus aid for the injured. Under UP’s labour laws, families could claim up to ₹5 lakh per death, but enforcement remains spotty.
- Accountability Measures: Investigations into the builder’s role, site inspections, and why permissions were flouted despite proximity to a national project like the airport.
NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian emphasized that such incidents erode the right to life and dignified work under Article 21 of the Constitution.
“Negligence in construction sites is not just a civil lapse, it is a human rights betrayal,” a commission statement noted.
Broader Implications: A Wake-Up Call For Construction Safety
This NHRC action arrives amid national scrutiny on labour welfare.
The Jewar airport, set for partial operations in 2026, promises 2 lakh jobs but risks amplifying hazards if safety nets lag.
Experts point to systemic flaws: Only 40% of UP’s construction sites comply with the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, per a 2024 Labour Ministry audit.
For families like that of deceased worker Rajesh Kumar (name anonymized from reports), a daily-wage earner supporting three children, the loss is irreparable.
“He left at dawn for bread; we got his body at dusk,” a relative told local media.
The missing labourer, believed to be a young migrant, adds urgency, and searches continue with sniffer dogs and drones.
However, glimmers of reform emerge.
Following the incident, GNIDA razed two adjacent illegal structures and fined the builder ₹10 lakh.
Advocacy groups, such as the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), hail the NHRC’s role as a “vital check,” urging nationwide audits.
Looking Ahead: Justice Beyond The Rubble
As the two-week deadline looms, Gautam Budh Nagar officials face pressure to deliver transparency.
Will this probe yield not just reports, but also fundamental reforms, such as mandatory insurance for site workers and digital permission tracking?
For now, it reaffirms NHRC’s watchdog prowess in an era of hasty growth.
In Nagla Hukum Singh, villagers whisper about “ghost buildings” that rise overnight.
The NHRC’s notice could silence them, or, if ignored, amplify the tragedies that follow even louder.
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