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Rekha Gupta orders bulldozer action on illegal construction amid outrage over Satya Niketan PG collapse
Rekha Gupta directed officials to examine building records to determine when construction took place illegally and which authority had jurisdiction over it.
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Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to launch bulldozer action against illegal construction in several parts of the city, days after a PG collapse killed seven people. She also ordered all senior MCD officials to remain on the ground during the action. Follow LIVE updates here.
Gupta directed authorities to conduct intensive inspections of all PG hostels in Delhi and take action against illegal construction.
She also ordered officials to examine building records to establish when the illegal construction took place and under whose jurisdiction it was carried out.
Deep Dive
Delhi PG collapse killed 7
The crackdown follows the Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6, in which seven people died. A five-storey building being used as a boys’ PG accommodation caved-in, and the FIR reportedly alleged that four floors had been illegally constructed.
ALSO READ | Sudhanshu, operator of Delhi PG that collapsed, arrested after 7 killed in tragedy
On September 7, the Delhi government ordered structural audits and safety inspections of PG accommodations, particularly in student hubs such as Mukherjee Nagar, Rajendra Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Satya Niketan and Saket. Authorities were asked to check construction permissions, structural stability, fire-safety NOCs and compliance with building rules.
The MCD has also moved against unsafe structures. An adjoining dilapidated PG building at Satya Niketan was ordered to be demolished after being declared unsafe. The demolition process started on Wednesday.
ALSO READ | 52 dilapidated PG buildings identified in Delhi survey initiated by High Court
PGs face regulatory gap
The Master Plan for Delhi-2047 has only a limited framework for PG accommodation. It restricts PG operations in Category A and B colonies, while leaving their regulation elsewhere to government guidelines issued from time to time.
A senior MCD official said Delhi has no dedicated licensing system for PG accommodation. “There are no licences issued for PG accommodation units as it is not a regulated activity,” the official said, HT reported earlier.
This allows for establishments that began as residential arrangements to increasingly operate as commercial businesses.
PG accommodation was brought under the “other activities” category of mixed-land-use rules in 2016, subject to conditions including road-width requirements.
ALSO READ | Building next to Delhi PG collapse site to be demolished, says CM; govt to frame PG policy soon
Government plans new PG law
The Delhi government is also working on a proposed Paying Guest Accommodation Regulation and Safety Bill, 2026, which is expected to make licences mandatory for PG operators and provide for structural and fire-safety audits, zone-wise rent bands and a central portal listing PG accommodations.
The issue had already been flagged in the baseline report prepared for the Delhi Master Plan-2047. The report identified a shortage of rental housing and called for newer forms of accommodation, including hostels, dormitories, student housing, co-living and PG facilities.
