Ignored warning: Delhi police flagged fire safety concerns 3 months before Satya Niketan hostel collapse
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ignored warning: Delhi police flagged fire safety concerns 3 months before Satya Niketan hostel collapse")
MCD workers demolish the rooftop of the building adjoining the one that collapsed in Satya Niketan on 6th September. Photograph: (ANI)
A safety warning against the Satya Niketan was already issued related to fire risks around three months before the collapse of the building that claimed the lives of seven people, mostly students.
Delhi police have raised safety concerns related to fire risks around three months prior to the collapse of a multi-storey hostel in Satya Niketan in the South Delhi locality last Sunday that claimed the lives of seven people. The raised concern came after the launch of inspections with expected tragedy that exposed regulatory gaps, loopholes in enforcement and general civic negligence in the national capital, a fire that tore through a bed and breakfast in Hauz Rani, killing 23 people.
The fact that this warning seems to have gone unheeded shows how Delhi's response to such tragedies falls drastically short of any real change, following the now-familiar pattern of inspections, inquiries, lists of violations, and promises of action that rarely translate into results.
Labourer warned about structural risk
In another development, the investigation has also revealed that one of the labourers had reportedly warned the accused against breaking a load-bearing wall. He cautioned that the building could compromise the structure and lead to collapse. Police sources indicated that the claim emerged during the probe, which is being verified. The initial findings confirmed that the warning was issued hours before the building collapsed when the labourer found the work being done at the property.
“During the investigation, we found out that one of the plumbers had warned the accused hours before the incident not to break the wall as it could lead to a collapse. However, the warning was allegedly ignored. We are verifying the testimony and other details related to the sequence of events,” a police source said.
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Reports suggested that a load-bearing wall was allegedly taken out during construction, which may have weakened the structure and contributed to its collapse. During questioning, one of the PG operators, Sudhanshu Lovneesh (31), reportedly told investigators that he had asked Mahesh, the building owner's son, about the construction work and the reason behind it.
