Two days after a building collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday surveyed over 1,100 paying guest (PG) accommodations in the national capital. During the survey, the Delhi civic body found none in the dangerous category, according to data available till 3 pm.
Of the total housing facilities inspected, 1,080 were found to be safe, while 29 required minor repairs and six needed major repairs. The survey also found that more than 20,000 students are currently staying in these PG accommodations across Delhi.
MCD Cracks Down On PGs
The MCD launched a crackdown on PG accommodations as the south Delhi building collapse incident triggered scrutiny of civic oversight. MCD officials raided the illegal housing
facilities and conducted structural surveys in Laxmi Nagar.
On Sunday, a PG accommodation in South Delhi came crashing down, trapping more than a dozen students under the debris. Seven of them lost their lives, while 12 others were rescued. The tragedy has once again brought the living conditions of students enrolled in Delhi colleges into the spotlight.
Satya Niketan Tragedy
The five-storey structure, which housed students, came down while renovation work was reportedly underway. Rescue teams worked for around 27 hours to pull survivors from the debris, with the rescue operations concluding on Monday.
Further, The Delhi Police registered an FIR at South Campus police station under Sections 105, 290 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to culpable homicide and negligence. The FIR alleges that additional floors had been constructed on the old structure despite concerns about its load-bearing capacity and that construction work was underway when the building collapsed.
Police subsequently arrested the alleged owner, Hariram Gupta, his wife Urmila Gupta and their son Mahesh Gupta in Rajasthan. A Delhi court sent Hariram and Urmila to 14 days’ judicial custody, while Mahesh was remanded in police custody for two days. Investigators are examining the family’s alleged role in managing the PG and carrying out renovation work at the property. The incident has also triggered scrutiny of civic oversight.
