'Where's your enforcement of 1985 law?': Cong attacks Delhi govt on Satya Niketan tragedy

The Congress on Monday questioned the government's responsibility for ensuring the safety of students and others living in Delhi following the Satya Niketan building collapse, and cited a 1985 amendment to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act to argue that legal provisions exist to act against illegal construction.

AICC national secretary Abhishek Dutt expressed condolences to the families of the students who lost their lives in the incident and said Delhi attracts people from across the country for education and employment. He said the government therefore has a moral responsibility to ensure their safety and provide adequate facilities.

"In 1985, when the Congress was in power, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's government amended the DMC Act and introduced Section 466A which provided for action and penalties against builders involved in illegal construction.

He said the provision had made it possible to take action against illegal buildings and claimed that several builders had been jailed at the time. Dutt questioned whether such legal safeguards were being effectively enforced today.

His remarks came a day after a five-storey building housing a boys' paying guest accommodation collapsed in Satya Niketan near Delhi University's South Campus. Seven people have died in the incident, while several others were rescued. Repair work was reportedly underway in the basement when the building collapsed.

Dutt also stressed that people from different parts of the country come to Delhi to study and work and said their safety should be treated as a government responsibility.

Delhi HC orders high-level MCD inquiry

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered a high-level inquiry by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) into the Satya Niketan collapse and said responsibility for such incidents cannot rest solely with the owner of the PG accommodation.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed authorities to intensify rescue efforts and examine whether the building had been constructed and repaired in accordance with applicable rules.

The court said the MCD should determine whether the collapsed building had valid construction permission and whether building bylaws had been violated. If unauthorised construction is found, the civic body must fix responsibility on officials who failed to act.

The bench also raised concerns over inadequate hostel facilities for students from outside Delhi, noting that many are forced to depend on private PG accommodations. It asked the MCD to explain whether statutory or executive regulations exist for PG hostels and whether buildings housing such facilities have the required permissions.

The court also asked Delhi University to provide details of outstation students and the number of hostels run by the university or the government.

The directions came while hearing a PIL filed by law student Aniket Kumar Gupta, which seeks urgent medical care and rehabilitation for affected students, compensation for the families of those killed, preservation of evidence and structural audits of PG accommodations.

The court issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government, MCD, Delhi Police and the National Human Rights Commission, directing them to file their responses within 10 days. The matter has been listed for 25 September.