Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta confirmed on Tuesday that the building adjacent to the collapsed paying guest (PG) accommodation in Satya Niketan will be demolished. Officials deemed the structure unsafe following the tragic incident that claimed seven lives and injured twelve others.
Gupta also announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for each person injured in the building collapse. Speaking from the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where she handed over cheques to victims' families, the Chief Minister assured that the Delhi government would bear all medical treatment costs for the injured.
Investigation and Arrests Follow Collapse
The decades-old Satya Niketan building, spanning approximately 55 square metres with a basement and four upper floors, housed a boys' PG accommodation. It reportedly lacked structural columns and beams. The collapse occurred around 1:30 PM on Sunday while repair work was underway in the basement, which police sources indicated had a chronic water seepage problem.
Police have arrested the PG owners: 81-year-old Hariram Gupta, his 75-year-old wife Urmila Gupta (who is the registered owner), and their 52-year-old son Mahesh Gupta, for their alleged involvement. Authorities are also searching for the labour contractor responsible for the repair work, examining whether the work contributed to structural integrity issues.
MCD Officials Suspended, City-Wide Inspections Ordered
In response to the disaster, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended Deputy Commissioner of South Zone Rakesh Kumar and four engineers: Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer Sunil Chauhan, and Junior Engineer Ashish Kumar. The Delhi High Court has ordered a high-level MCD inquiry, criticizing the government's inability to evade responsibility for the "most unfortunate" incident.
Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has directed officials to conduct comprehensive inspections of buildings across Delhi, particularly focusing on PG hubs and structures suspected of violating height and floor restrictions. Chief Minister Gupta has further mandated the sealing of all five-storey structures in the city to prevent future tragedies.