The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government and civic authorities to step up rescue efforts following the collapse of a multi-storeyed paying guest (PG) building in South West Delhi’s Satya Niketan, where several students were reportedly trapped under the debris.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct a high-level inquiry into whether the collapsed building had been constructed with valid permissions.
The Bench expressed serious concern over the safety of students living in PG accommodations and questioned the authorities over repeated building-related tragedies in Delhi.
“You [government] can't escape responsibility... 50 young students who are at the threshold of their lives... Majority of them are perhaps still lying under the debris, there can’t be anything more sad than this.”
The Court directed the MCD to identify officials responsible for any regulatory lapse and inform it about the action proposed against them. It also asked the authorities to explain whether specific statutory or executive rules regulate PG accommodations in Delhi.
The directions came while hearing a public interest litigation seeking compensation for victims’ families and a structural safety audit of PGs and hostels.
The Court asked the Delhi government, MCD and Delhi University to provide details about the number of students living in PGs and hostel facilities. It also sought the government’s plan to prevent similar incidents.
The Bench highlighted the shortage of student hostels and the need for stronger regulation of PG accommodations.
“Some mechanism should be put in place to regulate these PGs. These PG owners indulge in construction recklessly. If the permission is for two stories, the construction is made for six, and this collapse is probably a result of that.”
The Court directed the concerned authorities to file their responses and comply with the directions issued during the hearing.
The matter was posted for further hearing on September 25.
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