Delhi building collapse death toll up to 7; HC orders citywide PG inspection

New Delhi ( Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : The death toll in the collapse of a building housing students in the Satya Niketan area rose to seven on Monday, even as the Delhi High Court expressed deep concern over the safety of students living in similar paying guest (PG) accommodations across the national capital and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to inspect all PG hostels under its jurisdiction within a week.

The Delhi Police arrested Hariram Gupta, 82, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, his wife Urmila Gupta, 75, and their son Mahesh Gupta, 52. While the property was registered in Mrs. Gupta’s name, the men’s PG was allegedly being run by her husband and sun, police said. A search is ongoing for those operating the PG and the labour contractors that were carrying out repair work in the building’s basement. “Their role will also be examined in the case and accordingly action will be taken,” said Amit Goel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West.

Five officials of the MCD, the civic body responsible for issuing PG licenses and enforcing building norms, were suspended. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is exploring a policy to govern buildings used for several purposes, including PG accommodations.

In the High Court, a bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the deaths raised serious concerns about the safety of students living in PG accommodations and the acute shortage of hostel facilities for outstation students in Delhi.

The deceased students hailed from several States, including Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.The court directed the MCD to ascertain whether PG buildings in its jurisdiction had been constructed with valid permissions, whether they complied with building bye-laws, and whether any violations had taken place.

The High Court said the responsibility for the incident could not, prima facie, be confined to the property owner, as the role of university authorities and the MCD also required examination. It directed the civic body to conduct its inspection at the highest executive level and fix responsibility public servants if the collapsed building was found to have been constructed without authorisation.

The court directed Delhi University to provide details of the number of such outstation students enrolled in its affiliated colleges and the number and capacity of hostels run by the university or the government. It questioned the absence of adequate hostel facilities, saying the shortage left students with little option but to depend on PGs and private hostels. The court also sought details of any statutory provisions governing PG accommodations in Delhi, while emphasising the need for a regulatory framework.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the State government was actively monitoring the situation and that no stone would be left unturned in the rescue operations.