The owner of the building that collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan has been arrested following a massive multi-state manhunt, as the tragedy's death toll climbed to seven and authorities moved against several Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials.

Hariram, the owner of the collapsed building, was apprehended from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan after Delhi Police deployed 10 teams to trace him. Police had earlier issued a Look Out Circular against him after he became untraceable following the collapse. Further examination of Gupta is underway.

The rescue operation at the site is still continuing. So far, 12 people have been rescued, while seven people have lost their lives.

MCD suspends officials after collapse

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has suspended multiple officials in the wake of the incident. Those suspended include the Deputy Commissioner of the South Zone, Executive Engineer-South Zone, Superintendent Engineer-South Zone, Assistant Engineer-Zone and a Junior Engineer.

MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar said the adjacent building had also weakened following the collapse and was strengthened overnight to prevent further danger.

“Unfortunately, we have lost seven lives. We think the building next to the collapsed building has weakened, and it was strengthened through the night. We will take it up for demolition in a calibrated manner in the next 1-2 days,” Khirwar said.

He also said demolition orders had been issued for three to four buildings in the same area in August.

According to Khirwar, civic authorities have been carrying out regular action against unauthorised construction. Over the last three months, he said, 960 demolitions were carried out, 407 buildings were sealed, and notices were served to 1,500 buildings for sealing and demolition.

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Demand for student housing intervention

The collapse has also sparked calls for urgent action on student accommodation in Delhi.

Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking intervention following the tragedy. He urged the Union government to announce an emergency, ring-fenced financial allocation for the construction of public hostels for University of Delhi students.

Jha called for a time-bound student housing programme covering the North and South Campuses as well as geographically dispersed colleges. He also sought the identification of public land available with the Union government, the university and its agencies for hostel construction, along with transparent deadlines and publicly accessible progress reports.

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Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced a new policy mandating structural audits for all buildings used for public purposes, including paying guest accommodations.

With ANI inputs