Journalism of Courage
After Satya Niketan collapse, Supreme Court says may issue pan-India guidelines
This follows the Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae's plea for a time-bound safety audit of student housing in and around colleges and universities across Delhi.
The report said the Satyaniketan accident also needs to be seen in the context of the "larger concentration of PG accommodations and private hostels in areas surrounding colleges and universities in Delhi". (File Photo)
The Supreme Court will Thursday hear issues related to the Satya Niketan building collapse and an application filed by the amicus curiae seeking a time-bound inspection and safety audit of student housing across Delhi.
The court also indicated that, if necessary, it may transfer to itself the case the Delhi High Court is hearing on unauthorised and unsafe constructions.
A bench of Justices A Amanullah and R Mahadevan said it intends to lay down pan-India guidelines.
Advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha said he had filed a status report indicating the progress of the committee set up by the court to carry out inspection of buildings in Lajpat Nagar, Saket, and Malviya Nagar and added that “Satya Niketan did not fall within the scope of the inspection”.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pointed out that the Delhi High Court is already hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the matter and had passed certain directions.
Justice Amanullah said the matters overlap and that they may transfer the High Court proceedings to itself. “It will enlarge the scope. We probably have something in mind; it has to be on an all-India basis.”
Time-bound inspection and safety audit
The report, filed through Advocate Govind Jee, pointed out that Satya Niketan, located near Delhi University South Campus, has “emerged as a major hub for student accommodation, with a large number of PG accommodations, hostels, messes, eateries and other commercial establishments operating in the area.”
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“The present incident is also required to be viewed in the context of an earlier building collapse in Satya Niketan in April 2022, in which two persons lost their lives, and four others were injured. The recurrence of such an incident in the same locality raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of the existing mechanism for inspection, identification of dangerous structures and enforcement of building bye-laws.”
The report said the Satyaniketan accident also needs to be seen in the context of the “larger concentration of PG accommodations and private hostels in areas surrounding colleges and universities in Delhi”. “Such establishments are often operated from residential properties which may have undergone additions, alterations or changes in use”.
“The extent to which such premises comply with sanctioned building plans, applicable building bye-laws, permissible land use, structural safety requirements and fire-safety norms requires verification by the competent authorities.”
“In these circumstances, it would be appropriate that the inspection exercise be extended beyond the areas” presently identified by the Supreme Court, and that authorities concerned “undertake a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PG accommodations, private hostels and similar student-accommodation establishments situated in and around colleges and universities across Delhi.”
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“Such exercise ought to include verification of: (i) sanctioned building plans; (ii) actual construction and number of floors; (iii) basement construction and alterations; (iv) permissible land use; (v) structural safety; (vi) fire-safety compliance; (vii) means of ingress and egress; and (viii) the existence of any dangerous or ruinous condition.”
The amicus pointed out that the inspection of Lajpat Nagar and other areas was completed on September 3. “During the course of the said inspection, the Committee is stated to have found certain buildings situated in Saidulajab, Saket and Lajpat Nagar to be in a precarious and unsafe condition. The report of the Committee is presently under preparation and is expected to be placed before this Hon’ble Court shortly.”
It added that “the precise cause and circumstances leading to the collapse are currently under investigation.”
“However, the preliminary material presently available indicates that construction-related work was being undertaken in or around the basement, and there were also reports of water logging in the basement immediately prior to the incident.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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