(AI image) Building collapses in Seemapuri, several feared trapped under debris
The incident was reported around 3.30pm near Idgah Machhli Mandi in New Seemapuri. The incident comes nearly a month after a five-storey building collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on September 6, killing seven people. A Delhi Police investigation into the Satya Niketan collapse has since revealed that renovation work carried out around 10 days before the incident allegedly weakened the structure. Labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, 35, who was allegedly hired for the renovation work, was arrested after being apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh. During questioning, he allegedly told police that Gupta paid him Rs 2,800 per day for the work. PG operator Shudhanshu Lovneesh, 31, was arrested by police.
The work was carried out on the instructions of Mahesh Gupta and involved levelling the basement with the ground floor by filling it with around three truckloads of construction debris, according to police. Police said the structural changes, coupled with the additional load in the basement, may have affected the building’s stability. Three water tenders and an incident response team were initially rushed to the spot. Rescue and search operations are underway. On the day of the collapse, a wall on the ground floor was allegedly removed to create additional space for a shop. The investigation also found that the Satya Niketan building was being used as a paying guest accommodation.