By An unsafe structure adjoining the site of the Satya Niketan building collapse was demolished by the MCD on Tuesday.
The demolition covered the property at P-13 Satya Niketan, following an MCD order issued September 6 under Section 348 read with Section 491 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
The building’s owner has been arrested and five MCD officials suspended, along with a contractor, since the September 6 collapse that killed seven people.
On September 8, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission.
The Supreme Court is due to hear a plea on September 10 on a nationwide investigation into unsafe buildings, with the Amicus Curiae seeking audits of PG accommodations and hostels near colleges in Delhi.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to both the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission on September 8 over the incident.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier ordered a case against the collapsed building’s owner and a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances of the collapse.
Satya Niketan is a densely packed neighbourhood near Delhi University’s South Campus, home to a large number of paying-guest accommodations and student hostels.
The Supreme Court’s scheduled hearing is expected to consider whether a nationwide investigation into unsafe buildings, particularly those used as student housing, is warranted.
Structural safety violations in PG and hostel buildings have been a recurring concern in Delhi, with authorities periodically ordering inspections after individual incidents rather than systematic citywide audits.
The five suspended MCD officials are expected to face a separate departmental inquiry into how the adjoining unsafe structure went unflagged prior to the collapse.
The Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6 killed seven people, with rescue operations by NDRF and Delhi Fire Services continuing through the following days.
The demolition order for the adjoining property, P-13 Satya Niketan, was issued on September 6 under Section 348 read with Section 491 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
MCD Civic Centre, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
