NewDelhi: Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Monday directed authorities to conduct structural audits of buildings used as paying guest (PG) accommodation in major student hubs within a week, focusing on properties that have prima facie violated height and floor restrictions.
The directions came at a meeting chaired by the LG along with chief minister Rekha Gupta and urban development minister Ashish Sood to review the government’s response to Sunday’s building collapse in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University’s South Campus. The CM and urban development minister stressed that building safety was the government’s immediate priority. The directions came as the Delhi government stepped up action following the Satya Niketan collapse. Five senior MCD officials from the South Zone, including the deputy commissioner, superintending engineer, executive engineer (building), assistant engineer (building) and junior engineer (building), were suspended on Gupta’s directions.
Gupta said the government was working on a new policy under which buildings used for public purposes, including PGs, nursing homes and schools, would have to undergo periodic structural audits and obtain safety certification. She said the initial assessment indicated that the pillars of the old building had weakened and collapsed after water accumulated in its basement. Officials said students affected by the Satya Niketan incident had been shifted to safer accommodation, including hostels of other colleges, while the government remained in touch with their families.
The chief minister visited the collapse site for the second consecutive day on Monday and ordered a magisterial inquiry.
