Delhi High Court was hearing a batch of public interest litigations raising concerns over the regulation and safety of PG accommodations used by university students in the capital.
New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Wednesday informed Delhi High Court that it had inspected around 300 properties in Satya Niketan following last month’s building collapse and identified three buildings as dangerous, issuing vacation notices for all of them. In a status report filed before the court, the civic body said 10 other properties were found to be vulnerable and in need of major repairs, while 14 buildings required minor repairs. The submission was made in a batch of PILs being heard by the high court in connection with the collapse of a building housing a PG accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus on Sept 6. MCD told the court that, following its intervention, a time-bound survey of PG buildings was undertaken across all 12 zones under its jurisdiction. MCD further informed the court that reports had been received from all zonal building departments and that sanctioned building plans had been traced for 730 of the 2,453 PG buildings surveyed.
The structure collapsed while repair work was underway, killing seven people, including five students, and injuring several others. Last month, the high court ordered a high-level MCD inquiry into the collapse and observed that the govt could not evade responsibility.