The building being demolished has been supported with pillars.
On Tuesday, the MCD began demolishing in a controlled manner the building adjacent to the one where the accident occurred in Satya Niketan. According to MCD officials, the building had been declared dangerous.
The demolition work was halted by Tuesday evening. It will resume on Wednesday morning. The building housed a PG accommodation for female students. It was vacated after the neighboring building collapsed.
At least seven people were killed and five others injured when a building collapsed in Satya Niketan on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the labor contractor in the building-collapse case has been arrested in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. This is the fourth arrest in the case.
Earlier, police arrested the PG owner, Hariram, his wife, Urmila, and their son, Mahesh, on Monday.
Before the accident, the walls of the girls’ PG had also started developing cracks; students made a video
The students living in the adjacent ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel to Hostel Days had made a video of the cracks that appeared in their room.
Just before the Hostel Days incident, two students, Arnika and Mansi, living in the adjacent ‘Kanak Lata’ hostel, made a video of the cracks that had appeared on the walls and ceiling of their room a few minutes before the accident.
The video shows long and deep cracks on the walls of the room. Both are second-year students at Delhi University. In the video, 20-year-old Arnika can be heard saying, “It looks like it’s going to collapse.”
Accused Couple Remanded in Custody for 14 Days, Son for 2 Days
Hariram Bansal is a retired sergeant of the Indian Air Force.
All three were produced before the Patiala House Court on Monday night. Justice Bhavya Kharal sent Hariram and Urmila to 14 days of judicial custody, while Mahesh was sent to two days of police custody.
During the police remand, Mahesh Gupta, son of the building owner Hariram Gupta, told the investigating officer that repairs were being carried out to resolve the problem of waterlogging and dampness in the basement following a complaint by the company operating the PG.
After the water was pumped out of the basement, a power trowel machine was also being operated during the construction work. It is suspected that vibrations generated by the machine, along with the weakened structure, caused the building to collapse.
Case Reaches Supreme Court, Hearing Tomorrow
The Satya Niketan PG accident reached the Supreme Court on Tuesday. During the hearing, a bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan indicated that it would not limit the issue to Delhi alone, but would also review the condition of dilapidated and illegal buildings across the country. The next hearing will be held on September 10.
The issue arose when senior advocate Ajit Sinha, the amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court, mentioned the Satya Niketan building accident that occurred on September 6. Sinha is assisting the court in an old case related to illegal and unsafe buildings.
The Supreme Court has previously issued guidelines against illegal buildings across the country and now wants to review the status of their implementation. The court’s observation is being considered significant in the matter of building safety.
Students leaving their PG accommodation, 5 pictures…
Dangerous Buildings Across Delhi to Be Inspected
The MCD has asked executive engineers (Building) from all zones to inspect the buildings in their respective areas and submit a report by September 10. Seven people were killed and six injured after a building collapsed in Satya Niketan on Sunday. This order was issued following the incident.
The information gathered during the inspection will be included in an affidavit to be filed in the Delhi High Court within 10 days. The hearing will take place on September 25.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met the people injured in the incident and announced assistance for them.
MCD Suspends 5 Officials from South Zone
Following the accident, the MCD suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar on Monday. Four engineering officials have also been suspended pending completion of departmental proceedings.
Following this, IAS officer Shashwat Saurabh was given additional charge of the MCD’s South Zone. Saurabh, an IAS officer of the 2016-batch AGMUT cadre, is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the South West Zone.
Of the 300 Houses at the Accident Site, 170 Operate as PGs
Satya Niketan was established between 1965 and 1970 to rehabilitate slum dwellers. After South Campus began operating in the 1970s, the number of colleges increased, and students began living here. Many of the original allottees have sold their houses. There are around 300 houses in the area, of which about 170 operate as PG accommodations.
According to urban planning expert Jagdish Mamgain, many old buildings in Delhi were not built to support additional floors. Of Delhi’s approximately 75 lakh homes, only 1,75,000 buildings have approved building layout plans.
