A five-storey PG accommodation collapsed suddenly near Delhi’s Satya Niketan.
Local resident Rajen Chhetri, who works with the Delhi Police, said the building had around 15 rooms, with two to three students sharing each room, and that repair or construction work was underway in the basement. They were paying around Rs 12,000 per bed,” Chhetri said. “I have been living here for the last 20 years. Police said a PCR call was received at South Campus police station at 1.34 pm, following which eight fire tenders and multiple rescue teams were rushed to the spot. The adjacent building also appeared to be at risk and was slightly leaning, the resident claimed, adding that around 50 to 60 students could still be inside the collapsed structure. Around 35 to 40 students were staying on the upper floors and some of them were sleeping when the building collapsed, another resident told PTI. Priyanka, who said she had lived in the area for the past 20-22 years, told PTI that buildings in the locality were being constructed up to five or six floors. “The PG that collapsed is over 20 years old, and in all these years, I have not seen any maintenance work being carried out. The whole of Satya Niketan is full of PGs, and hardly 30% of the house owners actually live here,” she said.
Five-storey buildings with basements had been constructed in the residential locality, he claimed, questioning whether such structures should have been permitted. (With inputs from PTI) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
NEW DELHI: A “sudden tremor” sent residents of nearby buildings rushing out of their homes on Sunday, only to find a pile of rubble where the five-storey PG accommodation, Hostel Daze, once stood near south-west Delhi’s Satya Niketan. The foundation was also extremely weak,” he said. We ran outside,” a resident told PTI. “As soon as I came out, the whole thing collapsed,” he said. Another resident said his nephew had narrowly escaped after crossing the building on his bike moments before it collapsed. Since it was Sunday, many students had not gone to college and were inside the PG, he said. “They simply name the properties as PGs, take the rent online and leave them to operate,” she said. Since it was raining, most of them were in their rooms, while some had gone home as it was the weekend,” Priyanka said. Another resident said the buildings in the area were very old and called for structural verification of all such properties.
The area is a congested colony near the heart of Delhi University’s South Campus, lined with private student hostels, eateries and shops. Following the collapse, many people scrambled to remove debris with their bare hands and whatever tools they could find. “Most of the students staying here are from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and study mainly at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College and Sri Venkateswara College. Some construction work was going on in the basement, where water had started accumulating. “We felt a slight tremor in our house. It felt like the ground shook, like an earthquake. With no immediate arrangements, residents began lifting heavy concrete slabs and clearing debris themselves in search of those trapped, he claimed. The structure came down with a loud crash immediately after he passed, he claimed, quoting his nephew as saying, “It was a matter of seconds. Most of the students staying in the PG were from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, another resident claimed, adding that many of those trapped were believed to be from Kerala. “Many houses have been converted into boys’ PGs, with the owners shifting elsewhere. “Even the gutters and sewers here are open. There were many students trapped inside the building. Download the TOI App.
Work was being carried out in the basement, he claimed, adding that he managed to step out only minutes before the collapse and sustained injuries.