People living in narrow, multi-storey buildings near the one that collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday, killing six, have expressed fear about the structural integrity of their own properties.
Thirteen people have been rescued from the ruins of the paying guest building that collapsed yesterday. Many people, mostly students, are still feared trapped under the concrete slabs. As a precaution, the authorities have evacuated people living in that building. Photo credit: PTI Like the one that disappeared in a cloud of dust in seconds, the adjacent building is also five-storey high. An initial assessment indicated this building did not use pillars but followed an old method of construction that joined bricks directly together. For now, the authorities are working on installing a support system to stabilise the building next to the debris of the collapsed paying guest accommodation. At Ground Zero, the rescue operation went on through the night and continued till daybreak. It is not over yet. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a magisterial investigation into the incident. All the accused are on the run. Many of its residents were studying in the nearby colleges that form a part of what is known as South Campus. The incident happened while basement repair work was going on.
The neighbourhood, teeming with students due to its walking-distance proximity to some popular Delhi University colleges, has dozens of regular houses that have been converted into paying guest accommodation with several hotel-like rooms. Because the condition of the building next to the one that fell does not give enough confidence to the workers that it would stand for long, this is. The building that crumbled was over 40 years old.
The biggest concern is that removing the debris of the collapsed building could affect the stability of the adjacent building, sources said. The task of clearing the debris is not going to be easy, sources said. The police said a case has been filed against the building owner, Hariram, and others.
