Demolished 543 properties in 17 days since Satya Niketan collapse: MCD to Delhi HC

Since the Satya Niketan building collapse, MCD has demolished 543 properties, sealed 178 and issued notices to 559 others over unauthorised construction in 17 days.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Friday told the Delhi High Court that it demolished 543 properties, sealed 178, issued show-cause notices to 354 properties for unauthorised construction, served sealing notices on 205 properties, and passed 98 demolition orders in 17 days since the Satya Niketan building collapse.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the MCD, submitted before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia that the matter was taken up at the highest executive level immediately after the incident. The law officer said that the action was not limited to field-level officials, and that five officers across the supervisory chain were also suspended.

Mehta said that in compliance with the court’s September 7 directions to inspect buildings hosting paying guest (PG) accommodations, the MCD conducted a time-bound exercise across all 12 zones under its jurisdiction. Of the 2,453 buildings inspected, 2,342 were found to be visibly safe, 91 required minor repairs, 30 required major repairs and four were found to be in a dangerous condition. Necessary action has been initiated with the owners of buildings requiring minor or major repairs, the law officer said.

A five-storey building in Satya Niketan, which housed a paying guest accommodation known as Hostel Daze for Delhi University students, collapsed on September 6, killing at least seven people and injuring five others. According to police, renovation work was under way on the ground floor when the structure collapsed around 1.30pm. The building was estimated to be 40-50 years old.

Delhi government counsel Sameer Vashisht submitted that lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu approved an 18-member high-powered committee (HPC) on September 10 to review the availability, safety and regulation of student accommodation in the Capital.

He said the HPC held its first meeting on September 15, when it decided to formulate a regulatory framework for PG accommodations and private student hostels. As an immediate measure, the committee decided that Delhi University would develop a central student accommodation portal to capture details of student accommodations, with the portal to be developed within 15 days. He said that the HPC also decided that the MCD will develop a central portal to register and monitor PG accommodations, with technical assistance from Netaji Subhas University of Technology.

The submission was made in a petition filed by Aniket Kumar Gupta, who sought directions for a fair and comprehensive investigation into the collapse, including an examination of the roles of the owner, contractor, builder, architect, structural engineer and workers.

On September 7, the court asked Delhi Police, MCD and DU to respond to the petition, and asked the MCD to conduct an inquiry at the highest executive level into the collapse, as well as an inspection in a week.

In an affidavit filed on September 21, the Delhi Police stated that six persons arrested in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse, including the building owner, her husband and son, two operators and a contractor, failed to take adequate safety precautions during construction work carried out in and around the premises. The police also stated that the accused left the site after the incident, instead of taking responsibility and assisting in the immediate aftermath.

The matter will now be heard on October 14.