Following the deadly collapse of a five-storey building in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan area, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has directed officials to inspect buildings across the national capital for structural safety concerns.
Executive Engineers (Building) in all MCD zones have been instructed to conduct inspections in their respective areas and submit their reports by September 10. The findings will subsequently be incorporated into an affidavit that the civic body is expected to file before the Delhi High Court within 10 days.
The High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on September 25.
Supreme Court to hear Satya Niketan case
The Supreme Court is also set to take up the building collapse case on September 10. The court has indicated that, if required, the matter could be transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Supreme Court.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the safety of old and unauthorised buildings, particularly properties being used as paying guest (PG) accommodations and private hostels.
An amicus curiae appointed in the ongoing proceedings has reportedly urged the Supreme Court to expand its inspection exercise to cover PG accommodations, private hostels and similar student housing facilities across Delhi.
The court had earlier directed inspections in areas including Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Malviya Nagar, but Satya Niketan was not included in that exercise.
Seven killed in 28-hour rescue operation
The Satya Niketan building collapsed on September 6, trapping residents and workers under the rubble. Seven people were killed and several others were injured.
The rescue operation continued for nearly 28 hours, with teams recovering 12 people from the debris. Three injured people were reported to be in critical condition.
The deceased have been identified as Abhishek Kumar, Arpit Jaj, Yuvraj Soni, Pawan Kumar, Surendra Singh, Akshat Singh and Param Lal Kori.
Three family members arrested
Delhi Police have arrested property owner Urmila Gupta, her husband Hariram Gupta and their son Mahesh Gupta in connection with the collapse.
Police said the property was registered in Urmila Gupta’s name, while her husband and son were involved in managing and operating the PG.
Hariram Gupta, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, and Urmila Gupta were sent to 14 days of judicial custody, while Mahesh Gupta was remanded to two days of police custody.
Police have also been looking for the PG operators and labour contractor to establish their roles in the incident. The labour contractor, identified as Sanoj, was later apprehended in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj and brought in for questioning, according to police.
Basement renovation under investigation
According to the police, preliminary investigation indicates that renovation or construction work was being carried out in the building’s basement before the collapse.
Hariram Gupta reportedly told investigators that some renovation work was underway in the basement. An injured labourer also confirmed that construction activities were being carried out there.
The exact cause of the collapse is still under investigation.
MCD suspends five officials
The MCD has suspended five South Zone officials following the incident. Those suspended include South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineering officials.
IAS officer Shashwat Saurabh has been given additional charge of the MCD’s South Zone.
The incident has also triggered criticism from opposition leaders, who have questioned whether civic authorities failed to identify and act against unsafe buildings in time.
19 buildings found dangerous in earlier survey
The latest citywide inspection comes despite an earlier MCD survey conducted this year.
According to the civic body, officials surveyed 27,84,286 buildings, of which only 19 were identified as dangerous.
The fresh inspection is expected to examine whether other buildings, particularly those being used as PGs, hostels or other high-occupancy residential facilities, pose structural or safety risks.
Around 170 PGs in Satya Niketan
Satya Niketan has developed into a major student accommodation hub near Delhi University’s South Campus. The locality has around 300 houses, with approximately 170 reportedly operating as PG accommodations.
The building collapse has renewed questions about the structural condition of older properties that have been modified or expanded over the years to accommodate larger numbers of students and tenants.
