Delhi PG collapse: What could have gone wrong? Student groups flag safety lapses
New Delhi: What could have gone wrong at the paying guest accommodation that collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan? As rescue teams worked at the site, concerns over the safety of student housing quickly moved beyond the collapsed building, with student and teacher organisations flagging structural and fire-safety issues at private PGs and hostels.
The concerns were accompanied by a sharp protest against the civic authorities, with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) vandalising the MCD office at Civic Centre and demanding the resignation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Commissioner.
They also demanded a safety audit of student accommodations across the city and alleged negligence by civic authorities.
Delhi University on Sunday said it was "deeply pained and saddened" by the collapse. The university said its thoughts were with the students and families affected, prayed for the safe rescue of those trapped and said it was ready to support its students.
Safety questions emerge after collapse
The National Democratic Teachers' Front (NDTF) said the incident had raised serious concerns over structural compliance and fire safety norms at private hostels and paying guest accommodations around Delhi University's two campuses and its colleges elsewhere in the city.
It also pointed to narrow lanes in several student residential areas, saying they could hamper rescue operations during emergencies. The organisation demanded a time-bound inquiry into private hostels and PG accommodations around DU.
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The ABVP also demanded a high-level probe into the collapse. Its national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki said the incident raised "severe questions" about the functioning of city authorities and called for action against errant PG operators as well as officials who permitted such unorganised PGs to run.
Protest puts spotlight on student housing
The ABVP said its activists entered the MCD complex and staged a sit-in as part of the protest.
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) alleged negligence behind the collapse and demanded that the Delhi University administration and the government carry out rescue operations on a war footing.
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The Students' Federation of India (SFI) said the collapse also highlighted what it described as a wider problem of illegal construction in student areas.
The organisation said students coming to Delhi from different parts of the country are often forced to live in cramped and crowded flats and PG accommodations because there are no formal mechanisms to help them find housing.
It also flagged inadequate ventilation, poor sanitation, insecure tenancies, lack of formal rent agreements and arbitrary rent hikes in student residential areas.
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The concerns raised by the student and teacher organisations do not establish what caused the Satya Niketan building to collapse. However, they have brought wider questions about the safety and living conditions at private PGs and hostels used by students across Delhi into focus.
With PTI inputs