The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday initiated a pan- Delhi survey of paying guest (PG) accommodations in the wake of the building collapse in Satya Niketan, where seven people died, and identified 52 dilapidated buildings operating as PGs on the first day.
At this stage, no punitive action is being taken; we are just identifying buildings and creating a database. Those found in poor or dilapidated condition are simply being advised to carry out repairs. “These two zones alone accounted for bulk of these units.
Officials said that in all, they have identified 1,120 units operating as PG accommodations, with 20,481 people living in them. On the first day, MCD teams found 52 PGs in a dilapidated state, while the others appeared to be in satisfactory condition. A second official said that the highest number of PGs, at 450, were found in the Civil Lines zone, which comprises areas such as Mukherjee Nagar, which is closest to Delhi University’s North Campus and 245 PGs were identified in the Keshavpuram zone.
A senior MCD official, who did not wish to be named, said: “The survey has been initiated on directions of the Delhi high court and it will be completed by Friday. Information regarding PGs was also gathered from areas such as Munirka, Laxmi Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, Rajendra Nagar, and Karol Bagh,” the official said. The official said that none of the buildings surveyed on Tuesday was classified as being in a dangerous or ruinous state.
