New Delhi: Authorities in New Delhi have issued a lookout circular for the owner of a five-storey paying guest house that caved in at Satya Niketan, as search-and-rescue teams worked for the second day on Monday.
Six people have died in the disaster, and police have registered an FIR against Hariram Bansal and others while trying to locate the building owner. The case includes provisions on culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal negligence in maintaining a structure, and endangering life.
The structure, used as a boys’ PG and locally referred to as Hostel Daze, came down at about 1.30 pm on Sunday while repair and renovation work was reportedly being carried out in the basement. Situated close to Delhi University’s South Campus, the building housed students from colleges in the area.
Most Rubble Cleared
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta toured the Satya Niketan site on Monday and said crews had cleared about 80 per cent of the debris, with operations now focused on the basement. She added that the next-door building, also flagged as unsafe, had been vacated and would be pulled down once the collapsed structure’s rubble was fully removed, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Gupta directed inspections of PGs and other buildings in the area and said the Delhi government is drafting a policy to make periodic structural audits and safety certification mandatory for buildings used as PGs, nursing homes, schools and similar public-use establishments. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi ordered the immediate sealing of illegal constructions above four floors and warned of action against negligent officials.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the precarious state of the neighbouring building was complicating the rescue. The adjacent structure, estimated to be 40–50 years old, has been evacuated, he said.
“The NDRF team is continuously engaged in the operation,” Sirsa said, adding that rescuers had to clear the debris without causing further damage to the adjoining structure.
HC To Take Up PIL
The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to urgently hear a public-interest litigation on the collapse. The petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, police and other agencies continued combing the rubble on Monday. At least 11 people had been rescued by the morning, and officials said they could not rule out more people being trapped, including an unidentified labourer.