Just hours before the boys’ PG collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan , killing seven people, the PG operator was allegedly warned that ongoing construction could bring down a wall.
Police flagged safety concerns, mainly fire risks, about buildings in Satya Niketan around three months before a multi-storey hostel collapsed in the South Delhi locality last Sunday, killing seven people, mostly students, HT reported earlier. The labourer who issued the warning had called PG operator Sudhanshu, 31, to caution him that the building may not be able to bear the additional load from construction work in the basement, according to an Indian Express report.
Sudhanshu, who ran the ‘Hostel Daze’ PG chain in the area, allegedly told police during questioning that he had also warned the son of the property’s owner against proceeding with the renovation. “We are also trying to get details of the timeline of the construction work, and ask neighbours how the building came up and whether it was inspected during the construction,” a police officer said as quoted by the report. Delhi Police on Friday took the three accused arrested in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse case for a medical examination before producing them before Patiala House Court later in the day, PTI reported.
The area, close to 13 colleges, was a hub for students seeking alternative accommodation in the city given the chronic shortage of on-campus hostel rooms in Delhi University.
On June 17, two weeks after the Hauz Rani fire, the South Campus station house officer sent a letter to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Mehrauli, flagging “public safety” concerns and advising “any and early action” in the Satya Niketan locality.
