A student PG building collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan due to waterlogged basement and ongoing repairs. Before building collapse (L) , After (R)
The Delhi government has announced plans for mandatory periodic structural audits and safety certification for old buildings being used by the public.
Chief minister Rekha Gupta said the building was a very old structure. The ongoing repair work, combined with the accumulated water, led to the collapse, she said after inspecting the site. The tragedy has now put the spotlight on Delhi’s ageing buildings, particularly residential structures being used as PGs and other commercial establishments.
Police, meanwhile, said renovation work was allegedly being carried out on the ground floor and in the basement before the building collapsed. The civic body has said it is still too early to establish the exact cause, with investigators looking into the possible role of water seepage, basement or ground-floor work, and the building’s structural condition. A local resident said the building was part of an old cluster in Satya Niketan where structures were originally constructed decades ago and additional floors were later added. Water had accumulated there,” the resident said. Both factors were present in the Satya Niketan case, making the structure particularly vulnerable, according to him. DUSU president Aryan Maan said he reached the site within minutes and mobilised student volunteers from South Campus to help dig through the rubble and evacuate survivors.
An FIR has been registered against the alleged owner and others, while investigators examine who was responsible and whether the repair work compromised the structure. Eyewitness accounts from the site have added another layer to the questions surrounding the collapse. “The building had no pillars. In the Satya Niketan area, many houses do not have pillars. These are old buildings, constructed when Satya Niketan was first developed, and floors have since been added to these structures. In the building that collapsed, some work was on in the basement. Former Delhi Fire Services director Atul Garg also pointed to two major factors that can commonly trigger the collapse of an old building — heavy rain and construction activity. Student organisations, including volunteers from ABVP, NSUI and AISA, also joined the early rescue efforts.
