New Delhi [India], September 7 (ANI): In a major crackdown by the Delhi Government following the Satya Niketan building collapse, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended multiple officials on Monday, including the Deputy Commissioner South Zone, Executive Engineer-South Zone, Superintendent Engineer-South Zone, Assistant Engineer-Zone, and a Junior Engineer.
The death toll in the collapse has risen to seven, with 12 rescued as rescue operations are ongoing.
MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar said, "Unfortunately, we have lost seven lives. We think the building next to the collapsed building has weakened, and it was strengthened through the night. We will take it up for demolition in a calibrated manner in the next 1-2 days."
"In August, we had passed demolition orders for 3-4 buildings in the same area. A regular identification is conducted. In the last three months, 960 demolitions were carried out, 407 buildings were sealed, and notices were served to 1500 buildings for sealing and demolition. This is a regular process to take action against unauthorized construction," he added.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police continue their search for the building's owner-Hariram Bansal, who remains untraceable, as multiple teams have been formed to find him and an LOC (Look Out Circular) has been issued.
A neighbour of Bansal, SP Sharma, said, "Bansal Ji's shop is in the market—our relationship is simply that we occasionally buy goods from his store; he has a decent personality. He has been living here for years. He owns several other houses here as well; his daughter and son also live nearby in Sector 23. He owns a hardware shop. I have no idea about Delhi; I don't know if he owns a house in Satya Niketan or anything like that, but he does have four or five properties here."
Meanwhile, rescue operations continue at the site of the incident. 12 people have been rescued so far. Giving details of the rescue operation, IG NDRF Narendra Singh Bundela said it was difficult to give an exact timeline for completion of the operation.
"We have a mandate for technical search and rescue, so we are working on that. The State Government is already looking into the matter. The Delhi Government is assessing the situation. It will be difficult for me to comment on the exact time, but it should take the whole day because removing the rubble and tracing victims inside the rubble takes a lot of time," he said.
Among those who died was a B.Com student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, the college's Principal, Professor Gyanatosh Kumar Jha, said.
"Unfortunately, one of our students has died in the PG building collapse, and one student who suffered injuries is currently admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre. The name of the student who has died is Arpit, and he was a student of the B.Com course. The college staff was continuously in touch with the students. After the incident, shops near the incident site had closed, so we arranged for food and water for the students. The students who faced problems regarding lodging were made to move in with other students in their PG accommodations," Jha said.
He added that the college has been in continuous touch with students, arranging food and water after nearby shops shut following the incident. (ANI)
Delhi Govt cracks whip, 5 MCD officials suspended after Satya Niketan building collapse
