A plea is expected to be mentioned before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking an urgent expansion of the court-monitored exercise against illegal constructions and unauthorised change of land use in Delhi, following the death of seven people in the collapse of an illegally constructed building used as a student PG in Satya Niketan.
The precise cause of the collapse remains under investigation. The amicus has now urged that the inspection exercise cover PGs, private hostels and similar student accommodation establishments around colleges and universities across Delhi. The proposed audit is to verify the sanctioned building plans, actual construction and number of floors, basement construction and alterations, permissible land use, structural safety, fire-safety compliance, means of ingress and egress, and whether the premises are in a dangerous or ruinous condition. Five South Zone MCD officials have been suspended in connection with the Satya Niketan incident. It flags the concentration of PG accommodations and private hostels around Delhi’s colleges and universities, pointing out that such establishments are often operated from residential properties that may have undergone additions, alterations or changes in use. The amicus has asked the Supreme Court to consider the developments arising from the Satya Niketan collapse and issue such further directions as it considers appropriate, particularly to ensure that the inspection and safety audit is not confined to a handful of localities but covers vulnerable student accommodation across Delhi.
The latest report records that a multi-storeyed building at P-14, Satya Niketan, collapsed on September 6. The property, spread over approximately 55 square yards, comprised a basement and four floors above the ground and was being used as a boys’ PG under the name Hostel Daze. Seven people died, and at least 12 were rescued. The urgency of the request has been underlined, citing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s action against an adjoining property at P-13, Satya Niketan, which was found to be in a dangerous condition. The MCD issued an order on September 6 under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act directing demolition of the structure within the stipulated period. The amicus report places the Satya Niketan tragedy in a wider context, noting that the locality had witnessed another building collapse in April 2022, in which two people were killed and four injured.
It says the recurrence raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the existing mechanism for inspecting buildings, identifying dangerous structures and enforcing building by-laws. The amicus has said compliance with sanctioned plans, building by-laws, permissible land use, structural safety and fire-safety norms requires verification by the competent authorities.
Preliminary material indicated construction-related work in or around the basement and reports of waterlogging immediately before the incident.
