New Delhi, India – The death toll in the collapse of a building housing students in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area rose to seven on Monday, as the Delhi High Court expressed deep concern over the safety of students living in similar paying guest (PG) accommodations across the national capital . The court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to inspect all PG hostels under its jurisdiction within a week, and held that responsibility for the tragedy could not be confined to the property owner alone .
The Delhi Police arrested the building owner, 82-year-old Hariram Gupta, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, along with his wife Urmila Gupta, 75, and son Mahesh Gupta, 52 . While the property was registered in Urmila Gupta’s name, the PG accommodation was allegedly being run by her husband and son . A search is ongoing for the operators of the PG and the labour contractors carrying out repair work in the basement at the time of the collapse .
In the High Court, a bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the MCD to ascertain whether PG buildings in its jurisdiction had been constructed with valid permissions and complied with building bye-laws . The court flagged the role of MCD and Delhi University (DU), noting that inadequate hostel accommodation forces students from outside Delhi to depend on private PGs . “These PGs are not only very dangerous, they are causing threat to the lives, security to these students,” the Bench observed .
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Five MCD officials were suspended over the incident, including South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers . Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is exploring a policy to govern buildings used for different purposes, including PG accommodations . Over the course of the 28-hour rescue operation, at least 12 people were brought to hospitals, with at least three in critical condition . The court has sought detailed responses from authorities within 10 days, with the next hearing scheduled for September 25
