Delhi PG audit finds four dangerous buildings after Satya Niketan collapse

Four Delhi buildings operating as paying guest accommodation have been classified as dangerous in an interim civic survey ordered after the September 6 collapse of a multi-storey PG building in Satya Niketan, in which seven people died.

The survey identified more than 2,250 buildings with PG facilities housing over 47,000 people. It found that 25 buildings require major repairs and 138 require minor repairs.

South Zone recorded 22 of the major-repair cases, 90 of the minor-repair cases and three of the four dangerous buildings. The remaining dangerous building was in Keshavpuram.

Civil Lines had the highest number of PG buildings, with 531, followed by Keshavpuram with 410 and South Zone with 384. The areas include student and coaching hubs around Delhi University’s North Campus, Mukherjee Nagar, IIT Delhi, JNU and Delhi University’s South Campus.

Municipal officials said many of the vulnerable properties were load-bearing structures. They directed buildings requiring repairs to carry out maintenance urgently.

The Delhi High Court has asked MCD and Delhi University to set out the regulatory framework for PGs and hostels. Replies are due within 10 days, and the matter is listed for September 25.