Delhi Satya Niketan Building Collapse: HC To Hear Plea As Death Toll Rises To Six

The Delhi High Court is likely to hear on Monday a plea concerning the collapse of a five-storey paying guest accommodation in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area that has claimed six lives.

The court has allowed urgent mentioning of the petition, with the matter expected to come up for hearing later in the day. Meanwhile, rescue teams continued their search operation for a second consecutive day, clearing the rubble in an effort to locate anyone who may still be trapped.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site again on Monday and reviewed the ongoing rescue efforts.

The building, located near Delhi University’s South Campus and opposite Sri Venkateswara College, collapsed at around 1:30 pm on Sunday.

The structure had a basement and five upper floors and was being used as a boys’ PG. Ten people have so far been rescued from the debris and taken to hospitals, while some of those pulled out were reported to be in critical condition.

Cranes and JCB machines were being used to remove concrete slabs and debris from the site. Police personnel and a dog squad have also been deployed to assist in the search.

The adjacent building has been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A major development on Monday was the disclosure that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had previously identified the premises as being in a dangerous and ruinous condition.

According to an MCD order, the property was to be demolished within three days of the notice. The civic body said failure to comply would result in demolition by the MCD, with the cost recovered from the owner as arrears of tax.

Officials are also examining reports that renovation work was being carried out on the ground floor or in the basement before the collapse.

The building was reportedly around 30 years old and stood on roughly 55 square yards in a resettlement colony. An MCD official said the structure had permission only for a ground-plus-one-floor construction but had been expanded to a G+4 structure.

Delhi Police have registered an FIR against the alleged owner, identified as Hariram Bansal, and others. Multiple police teams have been formed to trace those named in the case.

A lookout notice has also reportedly been issued against Bansal, while police have taken a copy of his passport as part of efforts to locate him.

The case has been registered at South Campus police station under Sections 105, 290 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been officially established. Authorities are investigating the construction and renovation work carried out at the premises and examining whether violations or negligence contributed to the disaster.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collapse. Multiple agencies, including the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, CATS and Civil Defence, have been deployed for the rescue operation.

Gupta said the agencies were working on a “war footing” to locate and rescue anyone still trapped under the rubble.

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor has also called a high-level meeting on Monday afternoon involving senior officials from the DDA, MCD and Delhi Police. Major decisions concerning the incident and building safety are expected to be discussed.

The collapse has triggered political criticism, with AAP and the Civilian Justice Party (CJP) questioning the government over safety standards and alleged lapses in regulating PG accommodations.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the ownership of allegedly illegal PGs in Satya Niketan and sought details of their operators, alleging that political and financial interests could be involved.

CJP also criticised the government’s response and raised broader concerns about infrastructure and the safety of students living in hostels and paying guest accommodations.

BJP leaders, meanwhile, defended the government’s response, highlighting the multi-agency rescue operation and the steps being taken at the site.

The tragedy has also prompted protests and demands for accountability from student organisations.

Delhi Satya Niketan Building Collapse: HC To Hear Plea As Death Toll Rises To Six, says police.

A plea against the collapse of the Satya Niketan PG building, which has claimed six lives in Delhi, will be heard by the Delhi High Court. The search for the owner continued on Monday as rescue efforts continued.

The Delhi High Court is expected to hear the plea on Monday over the collapse of a five-storey paying guest house in Satya Niketan area of the city, which has resulted in deaths of six people.

The court has granted the petitioners an urgent mentioning and it is set to be heard later during the day. A search party into the debris continued for a second day trying to find anyone who might be trapped.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday once again visited the site and inspected the rescue operation in progress.

The rescue continues as six people have been killed, and the bodies have not been discovered yet.

The building near South Campus of the Delhi University alongside Sri Venkateswara College, collapsed around 1.30pm on Sunday.

The building consisted of five floors above and a basement and was being used as a boys PG. Tens have been rescued and transported to hospitals, with some reported as being in critical condition, from the rubble.

Concrete slabs and debris were being removed from the site using cranes and JCB machines. A dog squad and police personnel are also on scene to aid in the search.

The adjoining building is evacuated for precautionary measures.

The significant development on Monday was that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had earlier noted the building to be in a dangerous and ruinous state.

The order by MCD stated that it was to be demolished within 3 days of the notice. Failure to comply will bring the destruction by the civic body MCD, the expenses will be recovered from the owner as arrears of tax, the civic body said.

The officials are also checking into the possible renovations in the basement or ground floor prior to the collapse.

It was said to be about 30 years old and located on about 55 square yards of land in a resettlement colony. The building got permission for a structure of G+1 floor, but it has been expanded to G+4, an MCD official said.

Delhi Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the alleged owner (Hariram Bansal) and others. Several police squads have been created to track down those listed in the case.

Bansal has also apparently been issued a lookout notice and police have also seized a copy of his passport in an attempt to find him.

A case has been lodged with the police at South Campus in the presence of Sections 105, 290 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

A cause of the collapse has so far been officially not determined. The investigation will look into the renovation and building work done at the facility and whether any fault or lack of care played a role in the disaster.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collapse. NDRF and Delhi Fire Services along with Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Delhi Police, MCD, CATS and Civil Defence have been deployed for the rescue operation.

The agencies were operating on a “war footing” to search for and pull out anyone not out yet from the debris, Gupta said.

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor has also convened a high-level meeting with officers from Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Police on Monday afternoon. There are likely to be key decisions made about the incident and building safety.

The collapse has led to political criticism involving the AAP and the Civilian Justice Party (CJP) questioning the government on safety measures and whether it was lax in regulating PG housing.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj raised questions about the ownership of the allegedly illegal PGs in Satya Niketan and asked for information about the owners, saying that there can be political and financial interests behind it.

CJP also condemned the government response and had overall concerns related to infrastructure and security of the students staying in hostels and paying guest houses.

The BJP leaders, on the other hand, justified the government's action, pointing out to the multi-agency rescue operation that was underway and what was being done at the site.

Student organisations have also been protesting and asking for accountability in the tragedy.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had earlier staged protest outside the MCD headquarters over the collapse asking for action against officials involved in alleged lapses in safety arrangements. The organisation had demanded safety audits of the PG accommodation in Delhi.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) has also called for a condolence meeting in all the colleges of the Delhi University and called upon the government to hold the students responsible for the collapse.

The rescue and clean up efforts continue as investigators work to figure out what's going on in the collapsed building and look for any potential survivors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susmita Modak

[email protected]

Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

Read More