NEW DELHI: Three students were killed and five others critically injured after a five-storey boys’ hostel collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday, with locals blaming ongoing repair work and water accumulation in the basement for weakening the structure, while the MCD said it could not verify whether any work was underway until the debris was cleared.The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has also evacuated and sealed the building adjoining the collapsed structure after finding it in a dilapidated condition, officials said.
MCD flags illegal construction at Satya Niketan
The collapsed structure, known as ‘Hostel Daze’, was a nearly 30-year-old G+4 building constructed on around 55 square yards in a resettlement colony where permission had been granted only for a G+1 structure, a senior MCD official said.The official said the building had violated construction norms and was allowed to have only a ground floor and first floor, news agency PTI reported.Locals claimed repair work was being carried out in the basement and that water had accumulated there after days of rain, possibly weakening the building.Civic officials, however, said it was too early to establish whether any repair or construction work had been taking place because the debris had not yet been cleared.
Adjoining building sealed, tenants shifted
MCD deputy commissioner (South) Rakesh Kumar said the civic body had vacated and sealed the adjoining building, which housed a girls’ PG, after finding it in a dilapidated condition.“The structure next to the collapsed building appears to be in a dilapidated condition. It has been sealed and will be demolished. All the tenants in the next building have been shifted to the nearest community hall,” he said.Kumar said two hydra machines, four JCBs, around half-a-dozen pickup trucks and 30-40 MCD personnel had been deployed at the site.Asked about reports that repair work was underway in the basement of the collapsed building, he said the debris had not been cleared and there was no way to ascertain whether such work had taken place.“Sealing operations were already going on in this area and now further strict action will be taken,” Kumar said.
Illegal PGs, hostels mushroom in Satya Niketan
The five-storey building collapsed in a congested lane of Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus on Sunday afternoon.Officials said several other illegal PGs and hostels had mushroomed in the area.
Rescue teams search rubble for survivors
Rescue operations continued at the site with teams from Delhi Police, the NDRF, Delhi Fire Service and other agencies deployed to search the debris.Two NDRF teams comprising around 70 personnel and a canine squad have been deployed. Oxygen cylinders were also sent beneath the rubble for people who may still be trapped inside.The exact number of people still under the debris was not immediately known, although locals said several people could still be trapped.At least three people have died in the collapse, while five others remain critical, officials said.(With agency inputs)
