The rot has set in the construction sector. A dysfunctional clearance system has led to a series of building collapses in the recent past. Builders find the regulatory process to get approvals far too tedious and convoluted. This has given rise to short cuts and corruption, which have led to construction of illegal and unsafe buildings. Akshay Deshmane from Mumbai, Sayantan Bera from Kolkata and Soma Basu from Delhi report