After the Satya Niketan building collapse, CM Rekha Gupta reviewed rescue efforts and ordered strict action over negligence. Delhi is also planning structural audits for PGs, schools and other public-use buildings.
Chief Minister of Delhi Rekha Gupta continued with her vigilance of the rescue operation at Satya Niketan on Monday morning, one day after the collapse of the multi-storied building in the locality. After spending close to three hours at the spot on Sunday, the Chief Minister visited the spot to get a status of the rescue operations and advised officials to make sure that there is no delay in rescue operations at any point of time.
The teams of NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, and MCD continue to work at the spot. The search was carried out through the night as well as rescuers removed debris from the site while searching for people stuck inside the debris.
Uninterrupted Rescue Operations Ordered by CM
She has asked officials to put all available resources to use in order to keep rescue operations uninterrupted. Government has also shown that action will not be restricted to rescue and rehabilitation alone.
An FIR has already been filed against the building owner, while the government has ordered a magisterial inquiry against the collapse. The Chief Minister has assured strict action against those guilty of negligence.
Waterlogging and Construction Activity under Question
From initial sources, it is found that the old building was being used as paying guests accommodation and construction activities were going on there when it collapsed.
According to Gupta, on Monday, water logging was noticed in the basement and this, in addition to construction work done in the old building, may have caused this accident. But this is still under investigation.
There are also fears regarding safety of other buildings around the area. Buildings which are thought to be unsafe have been evacuated in order to investigate other dangerous buildings.
Suspension of Five MCD Officials
As a result of this building collapse, MCD has suspended five officials from the south zone. These officials include Deputy Commissioner, Superintending Engineer, Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer.
This suspension is a result of the investigation regarding supervision negligence.
Structural Audits Required for PGs, Schools, and More
The matter has forced the Delhi government to ponder over the need for stringent safety requirements for buildings utilized by the public.
According to Gupta, the government, along with MCD, is formulating a policy which can force periodic structural audits and safety certification for certain types of buildings, such as PGs, nursing homes, and schools.
As per the proposed structure, buildings lacking in the necessary safety certification will not be allowed to conduct any public functions.
Satya Niketan Raises Concerns Over Safety of Student Housing
Satya Niketan, a place in proximity to South Campus of Delhi University, is a very popular student locality and has a good number of PGs and private hostels. Thus, the incident has raised concerns about the safety of the buildings that are being used for student housing purposes.
Now, authorities are expected to take notice of the vulnerable buildings before any greater disaster occurs. The general message of the government here is that there will be no tolerance for negligence in the case of buildings used by the public.