The builder's path
For: People renting or buying in Delhi can't check whether a building has been flagged as dangerous or for illegal construction before they move in.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Delhi.
Step 1
Join an incubator or startup mission
They connect you to schemes and officials.
Department of Science and Technology support from idea to startup, through technology business incubators.
The tech industry body; startup programmes and a route to industry partners.
Incubator for social enterprises in health, agriculture and livelihoods.
Lab-to-market platform for science and technology aimed at social problems.
Step 2
Win a seed grant
Prove the idea works with a small, funded prototype.
Seed money through approved incubators for proof of concept, prototypes and trials.
NITI Aayog's mission: Atal Incubation Centres and challenges for social problems.
National AI mission: datasets, compute and calls for AI applications.
Department of Science and Technology support from idea to startup, through technology business incubators.
Step 3
Pilot with a public body
A district, city or department tries it with real people.
The national startup programme: recognition, schemes and a directory of incubators.
NITI Aayog's mission: Atal Incubation Centres and challenges for social problems.
The IT ministry's hub for tech startups, programmes and incubators.
National AI mission: datasets, compute and calls for AI applications.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's portal for property tax and building services, and the zone structure the actions follow.
Carries out the inspections, sealing and demolitions across its 12 zones.
Issued notices to houses after the Seemapuri collapse and is responsible for housing in slums and resettlement colonies.
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Problem: People renting or buying in Delhi can't check whether a building has been flagged as dangerous or for illegal construction before they move in. Who it hurts: Tenants, students in rented rooms and families buying flats in Delhi's older, densely built neighbourhoods, where extra floors are often added after construction. The moment it hurts: Signing a lease or paying an advance for a flat, with no way to know whether the civic body has already sealed, noticed or marked the building as unsafe. What people do today: Action is announced as zone-wise totals in official statements after a collapse, and notices go to owners; a tenant or buyer usually hears about a building's status only when sealing or demolition begins. Why it is still unsolved: Inspections, notices, sealing and demolitions are spread across the MCD's 12 zones and other agencies such as DUSIB, and none of it is published as a property-level record that the public can search. What solved looks like: A public lookup where anyone enters an address or property ID and sees whether the MCD or DUSIB has issued a dangerous-building notice, sealed the property or acted on illegal construction, with dates, plus a way for residents to report cracks or new floors for inspection. Where: New Delhi, Delhi, India First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“In the fields of observation chance favours only the prepared mind.”
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“You cannot step twice into the same river.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“That which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.”
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“Act, keeping in view the welfare of the world.”
लोकसंग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि
lokasaṅgraham evāpi sampaśyan kartum arhasi
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.