New Delhi:
An Investigation into the building collapse in south-west Delhi’s Satya Niketan has pointed to two major issues that led to the structure’s weakening and its eventual fall, which led to the deaths of seven people.
Officials said renovation work had been underway in the building for over a week before the collapse on Sunday. Water was accumulating in the basement, weakening the 50-year-old five-storey structure, and a decision was taken by the owners to eliminate the space and level it with the ground floor. To achieve this, three truckloads of construction debris had already been dumped in the basement.
Simultaneously, a wall on the ground floor of the building was removed to create additional space for a shop. Officials said the additional load in the basement and the removal of the wall took a toll on the stability of the building and contributed significantly to its collapse.
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Labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, who has been arrested, told the police that he had been assigned the work by Mahesh Gupta, the son of one of the building’s owners, Hariram Gupta. Kumar said he was being paid Rs 2,800 per day.
The First Information Report (FIR) in the case has revealed that Hariram Gupta and his brother built additional floors in the decades-old building despite knowing that it was already weak. They had handed over operations in the building to other people, including one Sudhanshu Gupta, who were marketing it as ‘Hostel Daze’ PG.
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Rooms in the building were being rented out to students because of its proximity to Delhi University. The seven people killed in the tragedy included five students.
On Wednesday, the Patiala House Court granted the police two days’ custody of Mahesh Gupta, contractor Sanoj Kumar and PG operator Sudhanshu.
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