MCD issues notices to ruinous buildings after Satya Niketan PG building collapse

The building that housed Delhi University students was built on around 55 square yards; it was a five-storey building in a resettlement colony

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has started issuing demolition notices to the damaged ruinous buildings next to the site in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan, where a collapse of five-storey PG accommodation building led to deaths of at least seven individuals on Sunday.

A senior MCD official said that the demolition will be initiated after the rescue operation is completed. (ANI)

The building is in dangerous condition and iron jacks have been installed to support them while the rescue operation enters the final stage.

A senior MCD official said that the demolition will be initiated after the rescue operation is completed. “The building number 13 is barely standing. It had been evacuated yesterday. The demolition drive will be carried out once the rescue operation is over. There are three more such buildings in the area. Such structures are being identified to prevent any further damage,” official added.

Deep Dive

What actions is MCD taking regarding the collapse of the Satya Niketan building?

Why did the Satya Niketan building collapse during renovation work?

What are the legal implications for the owner of the Satya Niketan building?

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The notice has been issued under section 348 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act which empowers the Municipal Commissioner to order the owner or occupier to demolish, secure, or repair any building that is in a ruinous condition, likely to fall, or dangerous to people.

“The property is in a ruinous and dangerous condition for any person occupying or passing by such structure and neighborhood the property...I hereby order you to demolish the property within in three days...if you do not comply by the order, dangerous building will be demolished by the MCD and demolition charges will be recovered,” the notice states.

The collapsed building was property no 14, according to an MCD statement. The building that housed Delhi University students was built on around 55 square yards; it was a five-storey building in a resettlement colony. MCD said that the building came up in 1990s. It has been unable to explain why the unauthorised construction work was not stopped by its filed teams.

According to investigators the building was owned by Hariram Bansal, a resident of Gurugram. An FIR was registered against him and unidentified others under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings), and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the South Campus police station.