‘Never imagined this could happen’: Anxiety grips students after Delhi building collapse

Satya Niketan is a hub of PG accommodation for students who are enrolled in colleges in DU’s South Campus. The building which collapsed on Sunday was one such PG accommodation called ‘Hostel Daze’.

Chaos at Nearby PGs after building collapse incident in Delhi. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Soon after the incident, university and college officials, and student volunteers started getting distress calls from trapped students and parents.

In response, colleges such as Maitreyi College, Jesus and Mary College, Motilal Nehru College, Aryabhatta College and Sri Venkateswara College offered to help the students asked to vacate their accommodations near the collapsed building.

The arrangements came as many living in the area faced uncertainty, with some buildings being vacated and power supply affected in parts of the neighbourhood. Certain adjoining women’s student hostels were closed as a precautionary measure.

Chaos at Nearby PGs after building collapse incident in Delhi. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

By Sunday evening, Arpit said, around 20 such affected students had arrived at the Sri Venkateswara College looking for help.

“We have made arrangements, with mattresses, water, and food in the foyer and the old science block as temporary shelter for them. Most likely, many of the students will leave later to go to their families amid this uncertainty,” he said.

Similarly, displaced students began arriving with their belongings at Maitreyi College by the evening.

Chaos at Nearby PGs after building collapse incident in Delhi. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Ananya Shukla, a BA student from the college who coordinated with these efforts, said the college was preparing to accommodate around 20 students. As of Sunday evening, she said that around 10 students had already arrived at the college.

“Some students had arranged hotels themselves, while in at least one case a student’s PG had been sealed and she had been left without her belongings, not even her footwear. We have told such students to just report to college, and we will arrange everything here for them,” she said.

A teacher at Motilal Nehru College, one of DU’s largest colleges, said, “We have made arrangements for the displaced students in our college. Their accommodation as well as food arrangements have also been taken care of.”

Locals and students queued to help remove the ruble of the collapsed building, at Satya Niketan, New Delhi on Sunday (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

Saniya Verma, a Masters student at the Delhi School of Economics who lives in a PG near Satya Niketan, said there has been no electricity in her accommodation since a power cut about 10 minutes after the incident.

“There are students in our building who feel stuck because they cannot charge their phones. Most are planning to leave for their relatives,” she said.

She said that many students were at the PGs as it was Sunday.

“I have been living here for the past three years and have always felt safe. I never imagined something like this could happen here. Nothing like this has happened before, and this is quite concerning,” she added.