New Delhi: A month after a building collapse in Satya Niketan left students worried about the safety of their accommodation, reports of tremors across the city Tuesday night briefly revived those fears. for students living in the area’s tightly packed paying guest accommodations and rented rooms, even mild tremors were enough to trigger the memories of the collapse Although the initial alarm soon gave way to relief.
Meenal, a student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, said students in lanes 2 and 3 stepped outside. Because he did not want to live alone immediately, hitesh, a Sri Venkateswara College student from Bihar, said he spent nearly a month at a friend’s PG.
A few other students had already come out, and we stood outside for some time,” said Rahul , a third-year student of Delhi University. “There is still a lot of fear,” she said. She said her parents were reluctant to let her return to Satya Niketan. “There is no option but to stay here as this is closer to our colleges,” she said.
The episode briefly brought the question of building safety back into focus in a neighbourhood where academic schedules, rent agreements and proximity to colleges make moving out difficult. “I rushed downstairs. “After what happened here last month, the first thought was whether the building was safe. At the same time, she added, repeated concerns over safety have meant that some residents are gradually becoming desensitised to the risks around them. The building collapse in Satya Niketan, a congested student hub adjoining DU’s South Campus, had claimed seven lives and raised concerns over the condition and structural safety of buildings in the area. For some students, the immediate instinct after the collapse was to leave. Meenal, whose parents live in Noida, was at home when the building came down. Others shifted out temporarily. His parents, too, had urged him to return home. Himadri from Maitreyi College faces a similar dilemma. She has considered moving out, but shifting midway through the session has not been easy. For Shagun, whose parents live in Indore, proximity to college ultimately outweighed the unease. Her own PG, she added, appeared to be in a relatively better condition, giving her enough reassurance to continue staying there. A month on, the student neighbourhood has largely slipped back into its familiar routine. But Tuesday night was a reminder that while daily life may have resumed, the unease over the buildings they call home has not entirely gone away.
On Tuesday night, many residents came out onto narrow lanes.