Following the Satya Niketan hostel building collapse incident, which claimed seven lives, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday launched a crackdown on unauthorised paying guest (PG) accommodations in Laxmi Nagar and Vishwas Nagar. MCD officials raided the illegal housing facilities and conducted structural surveys in Laxmi Nagar.
Earlier 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.
What FIR Says
The FIR further stated that the owners of the building allegedly knew that its decades-old foundation could not withstand the additional load but still went ahead with the construction of four extra floors to earn rental income.
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.
