Satya Niketan collapse: Amicus curiae seeks wider PG inspection drive in Delhi

In the wake of the September 6 building collapse in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan, the Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae has urged the top court to expand its ongoing inspection exercise to PG accommodations, private hostels, and similar student housing establishments across Delhi.  

The amicus curiae and senior advocate, Ajit Kumar Sinha, has noted in his report that the Satya Niketan incident assumes significance as the locality had witnessed another building collapse in April 2022, in which two people were killed, and four others were injured. 

“The present incident is also required to be viewed in the context of an earlier building collapse in Satya Niketan in April 2022, in which two persons lost their lives and four others were injured.

The recurrence of such an incident in the same locality raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of the existing mechanism for inspection, identification of dangerous structures and enforcement of building bye-laws”, the amicus report says. 

The report noted that construction-related work was being undertaken in or around the basement and that there were reports of waterlogging in the basement immediately before the latest collapse.  

Consequently, the amicus has sought a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PGs, private hostels, and similar student-accommodation establishments around colleges and universities across Delhi. 

The proposed audit seeks checks on sanctioned building plans, actual construction and number of floors, basement construction and alterations, land use, structural and fire safety, ingress and egress, and dangerous or ruinous conditions. 

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the inspection of buildings in Lajpat Nagar, Saket, and Malviya Nagar amid concerns over unauthorised and unsafe constructions, but Satya Niketan was not covered by that exercise.  

The Amicus Curiae's findings come after Delhi Police have registered an FIR in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse that killed seven people, alleging that additional floors were constructed on the old structure despite concerns over its load-bearing capacity and that further construction work was underway.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred around 1 pm and police received information at around 1.34 pm.

The caller informed authorities that a building being used as a PG had collapsed and that students were inside. 

ASI Praful Toppo, the complainant, said police reached the spot and found the entire building collapsed, with several people gathered around the site. A local inquiry revealed that PG accommodation was operating from the ground-plus-four-storey building, where several students and other people were residing. Some were trapped following the sudden collapse.

The FIR further alleged, based on local inquiry, that the building was several years old and that its owners, identified as Hari Bansal and his brother, had constructed four upper floors allegedly for rental income. It also stated that new construction was underway, which allegedly placed additional pressure on the structure. 

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited AIIMS hospital to meet those injured in the September 6 Satya Niketan building collapse and said the state government would provide the best possible medical care and financial assistance to the families of the victims. (ANI)