Labourer Warned PG Operator Hours Before Fatal Satya Niketan Collapse: Report

Hours before the PG collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan, a labourer allegedly warned the PG operator that ongoing basement work could bring down one of the walls, Indian Express reported, citing police sources.

The building, which housed a boys’ PG facility, collapsed on Sunday afternoon, killing seven people, including five students. Investigators suspect that construction in the basement weakened the approximately 50-year-old structure.

Warning Allegedly Given Before Collapse

The labourer reportedly told investigators that he had telephoned Sudhanshu, 31, who operated the 'Hostel Daze' chain in the locality, and cautioned him that the building might not withstand the load created by the basement work.

Sudhanshu, who was arrested on Wednesday, told police during questioning that he had also warned Mahesh, the property owner’s son, against proceeding with the renovation. He claimed to have pointed out that the building’s foundation could not support the additional floors.

Police are now attempting to establish when the construction began, who authorised it and whether municipal authorities inspected the property while alterations were underway.

“We are also trying to get details of the timeline of the construction work, and ask neighbours how the building came up and whether it was inspected during the construction,” a police officer told Indian Express.

Investigators questioned several residents of the neighbourhood on Thursday as they worked to reconstruct the events preceding the collapse.

MCD Inspects Operator’s Other PG Facilities

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has inspected all seven PG facilities operated by Hostel Daze in Satya Niketan. Officials are preparing a report on possible building and safety violations, according to sources familiar with Indian Express.

Several of the accommodations appear to have safety shortcomings, particularly a lack of separate entry and exit routes, the sources said.

During a visit to the locality on Thursday, The Indian Express found one of the company’s PG facilities, located opposite a Metro station, vacant but not sealed.

“All the students left the day the other building came down. But this building hasn’t been sealed,” a worker at the property said.

A second-year Delhi University student living in a four-storey girls’ PG about 100 metres from the collapsed structure also raised concerns about fire safety.

“If there were to be a fire, we won’t even have space to run. We took it because it was the only place with decent food. The MCD official came today, and inquired about the whole building. But we are happy that Sudhanshu was arrested. He was very rude,” she said.

Operator Arrested From Burari

Sudhanshu had reportedly reached the site shortly after the building collapsed. He left after students, many of them from Delhi University, began recognising him because he feared being assaulted, The Indian Express reported.

Police tracked him down at a friend’s residence in Burari and arrested him on Wednesday. A graduate of Delhi University’s Hans Raj College, Sudhanshu reportedly entered the PG business in 2022 and primarily catered to students from the university.

According to police sources, he oversaw the conversion of the property into a 16-bed accommodation, arranged its amenities and supervised maintenance, repairs and construction. He also served as the principal contact for prospective tenants.

Investigators said Sudhanshu leased the building because its poor condition made it available below the prevailing market rent.

Police had previously arrested property owner Hariram, his son Mahesh, his wife Urmila and labour contractor Saroj in connection with the collapse.

“The owners allegedly knew that the building wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of four additional floors. And yet, they decided to give the construction a go-ahead and lease it out to a PG company last year,” a senior police officer said.