‘Cracks, no emergency exit’: Lapses under probe after Delhi building crumbles

A five-storey building in Delhi's Satya Niketan, which housed a PG accommodation, collapsed on Sunday, leaving residents in chaos. The structure, constructed in the late 1990s, was turned into a PG accommodation over time. The municipal corporation has stated that no official complaint was ever recorded against the building. However, construction of additional floors, ongoing repair work in the basement and on the ground floor, and inadequate safety checks, including the absence of an emergency exit, are among the safety lapses under scrutiny.

The building, marked as P-14, comprised a basement, and four floors above the ground floor. Two additional floors were reportedly added around two years ago. Local residents stated that cracks were visible in the building before it collapsed. The police investigation aims to establish the timing and legality of these additions and whether the necessary permissions were obtained.

Each floor in the building reportedly had four rooms, with rents varying depending on the floor. A room on the ground floor was rented at Rs 18,000 per bed, while the third floor's rent was around Rs 16,000. The fourth floor's rent was around Rs 14,000 per bed. However, the second floor's rooms were reportedly not rented out.

Cracks and dampness had been present for about a week before the collapse, raising questions about whether a structural assessment was conducted prior to repair work. The police investigation will also examine if the repair work itself contributed to the collapse and whether any load-bearing elements were altered during the work. This incident has reignited concerns about the safety of old buildings and PG accommodations in the area, where a large number of students reside in rented accommodation.