A building collapse in Delhi’s Satya Niketan has claimed six lives and has revived the safety of PG accommodation in the capital to be very much a major concern for residents. The collapse took place on Sunday when a five-storey building with a population of around 30 years in the city, collapsed and trapped a few residents in the rubble.
Rescue teams, firefighters, police and disaster response teams rushed to the area immediately after the collapse. Most of the 12 people were rescued from the rubble, and several victims were sent to local hospitals to get treatment, rescue experts said. The search and rescue continued for hours in the rubble, and officials searched and rescued people trying to get to the site to ensure no one else was trapped under the rubble.
Student Accommodation Hub Hit by Tragedy
The collapsed building was located in Satya Niketan, a popular student housing area located near Delhi University’s South Campus. It is popular among students because it is close to several colleges such as Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma (ARSD) College and Sri Venkateswara College.
The building was reported to have about 15 rooms in a total of five floors, with 2-3 students in each room, making it a large PG facility. Students from various states such as Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were staying in the building and studying in Delhi to pursue higher education.
Rajan Chhetri, a resident and Delhi police officer, said students were paying as much as ₹12,000 per bed every month for accommodation in the building.
Questions Raised Over Building Maintenance
The incident triggered widespread criticism about the condition and maintenance of PG buildings in Delhi’s student-centric localities.
Priyanka, who has lived in Satya Niketan for over two decades, said that many five- and six-storey buildings in the area are being used as PG accommodations without adequate attention to structural safety and maintenance. Residents say many property owners rent out rooms to students, but do not regularly check or maintain the buildings.
Some landlords live elsewhere, and they are primarily renting on the Internet and do not care about the condition of their buildings. The collapse has reignited local and national calls for tougher inspections and rules on building safety.
Basement Construction and Waterlogging Under Scanner
Residents have also cited possible structural problems that may have contributed to the collapse. Construction-related work was going on in the basement of the building, according to local accounts.
Waterlogging in the basement because of open drains and rainfall had been a persistent problem. Residents believe that water accumulation over time might have weakened the building’s foundation. The disaster will also be investigated by police to determine whether unauthorised modifications or poor maintenance caused the disaster.
Weekend Timing May Have Prevented Greater Loss of Life
The tragedy could have been worse, residents said. Since the collapse occurred on a rainy weekend, many students had already travelled back to their hometowns, and thus the occupancy level in the building was low.
This reduced number of residents may have prevented a much higher death toll, eyewitnesses and locals familiar with the building said.
Demand for Stricter Safety Checks
The collapse has once again raised concerns about the safety standards of PG accommodation in places like Satya Niketan, Mukherjee Nagar and Karol Bagh, where thousands of students live.
Residents and civic activists want more rigorous building inspections, structural audits, adherence to safety standards and more robust enforcement against unauthorised or unsafe PG operations. They have called on authorities to conduct immediate surveys of older buildings that are student housing to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The Satya Niketan building collapse serves as a grim reminder of the urgent need for better oversight and accountability in Delhi's rapidly growing student housing sector.
