Satya Niketan: MCD orders demolition of building after fatal collapse

Following a building collapse in Satya Niketan that killed six, the MCD has ordered the demolition of another 'dangerous' building in the area within three days. AAP's Sanjeev Jha has criticized the MCD, alleging inaction and extortion.

Visual from Satya Niketan building collapse site (Photo/ANI)

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Sunday ordered the demolition of the building at Property No. 13, Satya Niketan, within three days, citing its “ruinous/dangerous condition” and stating that it posed a risk to occupants and people in the neighbourhood. The decision comes after a building collapsed in Satya Niketan, leaving six people dead. According to the MCD order issued by the Executive Engineer (Building)-I, South Zone, the premises had been occupied and were found to be in a dangerous condition. The order was issued under Section 348 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, read with Section 491 of the Act. The civic body directed the owner or occupier to demolish the property within three days of receiving the order to prevent any danger arising from the building. It further stated that if the order was not complied with within the specified period, the building would be demolished by the MCD and the demolition charges would be recovered from the owner as arrears of tax.

Six Dead in Building Collapse

Meanwhile, the death toll in the Satya Niketan building collapse has risen to six after one more body was recovered during late-night rescue operations. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire Service, Delhi Police and other agencies are engaged in the rescue operation, with a continuous search being conducted in the debris with the help of NDRF sniffer dogs to identify potential locations where people may be trapped.

AAP Slams MCD, Alleges Extortion

Further, AAP leader Sanjeev Jha hit out at the Delhi government and the MCD over the building collapse, alleging that despite repeated assurances on building safety and regulations, no effective action was taken to prevent such incidents. Speaking to ANI, Jha said, "You saw what happened earlier; grand statements were made—claims about building heights and regulations—but now, six months later, another incident has occurred... This implies that all those pronouncements are merely a pretext for extortion—threatening to restrict building heights or citing violations just to trigger a shakedown.”

“If action were genuinely taken, why do these incidents keep happening? The government is responsible; had proper measures been implemented after the initial incidents, these subsequent tragedies could have been averted... If so many damaged buildings are visible to us, why aren't the MCD or local BJP leaders seeing them? It seems they are blind to everything except the extortion racket that has ruined Delhi,” he further said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)