New Delhi: Terming the collapse of the building at Satya Niketan as “most unfortunate”, the Delhi High Court, on Monday, directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct an inquiry at the highest executive level into the incident.
The inquiry should specifically examine whether the collapsed building had been constructed with valid and requisite permissions, identify officials responsible for any lapse or failure, and detail the action proposed or taken against those found responsible, the Court directed.
The responsibility for the Satya Niketan building collapse does not, prima facie, lie solely with the owner of the PG hostel, the HC observed.
“The responsibility prima facie in our opinion for such mishaps do not lie solely on the owner of the PG hostel but the responsibility goes to the university authorities and MCD which is responsible to ensure that every single development in Delhi such as construction of building is carried out as per building bye laws or other regulations regulating such developments,” the Court observed, as reported by Hindustan Times.
It also HC directed the MCD to carry out a comprehensive inspection, within one week, of all PG accommodations falling under its jurisdiction.
The inspection will assess whether the premises are being operated in compliance with the required permissions and applicable building bye-laws, as well as determine the number of students residing in each PG accommodation.
Had the authorities remained vigilant and discharged the statutory duties cast upon them with due diligence, such an unfortunate incident could, prima facie, have been avoided, the Court further observed.
The Court also asked the MCD to file an affidavit stating whether there are any statutory or executive regulations governing PG accommodations and hotels in Delhi. Delhi University has also been directed to file an affidavit indicating how many outstation students are admitted to its affiliated colleges and how many hostels are being run by the varsity or the government.
The matter will be heard next on September 25.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, Delhi Police, Delhi government and MCD, submitted during the hearing that the authorities would not leave any stone unturned in the rescue operations.
The government was actively monitoring the situation and would take all decisions in the interest of everyone concerned, he said.
Meanwhile, the owner of the building Hariram Bansal has been arrested from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. Five MCD officials have also been suspended.