Safety of PGs in Delhi under SC lens
The Satya Niketan building collapse has reached the Supreme Court in the proceedings arising from the Loknathan vs Government of Tamil Nadu case, with court-appointed Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha placing the incident report. The report flagged a serious concern over recurring structural failures in the area and sought directions from the SC to expand its ongoing court-monitored inspection drive against illegal construction to cover PG accommodations, private hostels and similar student housing across Delhi.
Sinha in his report highlighted that Satya Niketan had not been covered under the SC’s earlier inspection directions, which were confined to Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Malviya Nagar amid concerns over unsafe and unauthorised buildings. The report noted that Satya Niketan, located near Delhi University’s South Campus and home to a large number of PGs, private hostels, and student accommodations, has witnessed similar incidents in the past, including a 2022 building collapse that killed two people and injured four others.
“The present incident is also required to be viewed in the context of an earlier building collapse in Satya Niketan in April 2022, in which two persons lost their lives, and four others were injured. The recurrence of such an incident in the same locality raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of the existing mechanism for inspection, identification of dangerous structures, and enforcement of building bye-laws”, the amicus report said.
A Bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R Mahadevan listed the matter for September 10 after the Amicus Curiae sought an early hearing. The Bench said if necessary, it may transfer the case already dealt with by the Delhi High Court.
On Monday, the Delhi High Court had ordered a high-level MCD inquiry into the incident and made it clear that the Government cannot evade responsibility.
The Bench said the issues dealt with by the HC are serious and overlap with the case already considered by the SC on a pan-India basis. “We have something in mind. We will consider this issue day-after-tomorrow. This is a serious issue. The issues dealt with by the high court are overlapping with one considered by this court on a pan-India basis,” the bench said.
The Bench was dealing with issues related to unauthorised constructions in residential areas, fire safety and conversion of residential into commercial establishments in violation of norms across India.
The amicus has sought a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PGs, private hostels and similar student-accommodation establishments around colleges and universities across Delhi, including checks on sanctioned building plans, actual construction and number of floors, basement construction and alterations, land use, structural and fire safety, ingress and egress, and dangerous or ruinous conditions.
The report also points to construction-related activity reportedly underway in or around the basement of the collapsed structure, along with reports of waterlogging in the basement in the period immediately preceding the collapse; details that may bear on the eventual determination of what caused the building to come down.
