New Delhi: In a tragic incident, a building collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan locality on Sunday, leading to the death of six persons, while 11 people
have been recovered so far. Even as search and rescue operations are on, authorities have found several discrepancies in the building so far.
While each room had four floors, rooms were accommodated on bed bases. In the initial probe, the authorities found that the building had additional floors. Construction work in the basement was also going on in the building at the time of the incident. Apart from that, the building lacked security check, it also did not have any emergency door. Locals claimed that two additional floors were constructed last year.
No formal complaints against owners earlier
The building housed PG accommodations where people from outside Delhi, including those from Delhi and Haryana, were staying, The Indian Express reported. Speaking to the paper, locals claimed that cracks had developed in the building before it crumbled. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said there were no formal complaints against the owners of the building. However, an FIR has been filed after the incident.
Spread over 55 square yards, the building was built in the 1990s. The building was slowly turned into PG accommodation. The probe is on to find whether the building was turned into PG accommodation as per the rules. As per residents of the area, this was the fourth such incident in 15 years, with the last incident reported in 2022. Two lives were lost in the tragedy.
The Indian Express report further said that the property was operated as a PG after it was leased to an entity called ‘Hostel Daze’. The building was reportedly owned by three Gurgaon-based brothers— Hari Ram Bansal, Anand Bansal and Azad Bansal. The building was reportedly leased last year.
