An unsafe structure next to the site of Delhi’s Satya Niketan building collapse was demolished by the MCD on Tuesday.
The demolished property, P-13 Satya Niketan, had been ordered demolished on September 6 under Section 348 read with Section 491 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
The building’s owner has been arrested, five MCD officials suspended, and a contractor also held since the collapse killed seven people on September 6.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission on September 8 over the collapse.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea on September 10 seeking a nationwide investigation into unsafe buildings, including audits of PG accommodations and hostels near Delhi colleges.
Structural safety violations in PG and hostel buildings have been a recurring concern in Delhi, with authorities periodically ordering inspections after individual incidents rather than systematic citywide audits.
The five suspended MCD officials are expected to face a separate departmental inquiry into how the adjoining unsafe structure went unflagged prior to the collapse.
The Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6 killed seven people, with rescue operations by NDRF and Delhi Fire Services continuing through the following days.
The demolition order for the adjoining property, P-13 Satya Niketan, was issued on September 6 under Section 348 read with Section 491 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
Senior Advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, appointed Amicus Curiae in the case, has sought court directions for a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PG accommodations and private hostels near colleges and universities across Delhi.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to both the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission on September 8 over the incident.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier ordered a case against the collapsed building’s owner and a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances of the collapse.
MCD Civic Centre, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
