Delhi Housing Association and Police flag and summon 56 PG owners in North Campus along with documents for security risks and safety hazards.
Post the collapse in Satya Niketan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been proactive in striking out strict regulations for PGs and other forms of housing accommodations. Delhi Police have served notices to at least 56 paying guest (PG) accommodations in Kamla Nagar, Malka Ganj, and Bungalow Road, directing operators to submit building, fire, and safety records as part of an audit following the Satya Niketan building collapse.
These neighbourhoods are among the most populous student accommodation hubs near the north campus area in North Delhi. These notices were issued by the Roop Nagar Police Station, seeking sanctioned building plans and occupancy records.
According to police officers, this procedure is part of a wider exercise to identify unauthorised constructions, overcrowding and serious safety lapses across these student neighbourhoods. The action follows the collapse of a five-storey PG in Satya Niketan on September 6 that killed seven people, including five DU students.
According to a notice issued by the Station House Officer accessed by The Tribune, PG operators and owners have been asked to summon and present ownership and development records of their accommodations and valid clearances from civic agencies. These include the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police.
The notices further seek details of fire-safety arrangements, including fire-safety certificates, firefighting equipment, emergency exits, staircases and escape routes. Under structural and fire safety requirements, police have sought a “valid fire safety certificate/fire NOC”, along with the “sanctioned building plan”, “site/floor plan” and “occupancy/completion certificate”. Operators have also been asked to submit the “latest structural safety/stability certificate, ALL WHEREVER APPLICABLE”.
Currently, the Delhi Police are reviewing and flagging unauthorised modifications and unchecked expansions in student living areas. The notice supports the permission for “any additional floor, basement, mezzanine, room, terrace or other portion being used for accommodation or any other commercial activity”.
For women’s safety, PG owners housing female students in North Campus have been asked to provide details of female caretakers. Where no female warden or caretaker is deployed, the notice requires owners or managers to submit a written declaration identifying the person responsible for safety, assistance and emergency response during each shift. The audit also covers security arrangements, with owners asked to provide details of CCTV cameras and security guards, as well as a “self-attested Xerox copy of the complete Visitor Register for the preceding 15 days”.
As per the notice, Delhi Police has warned that failure to comply with the current conditions could lead to seizure, and civic agencies might seal the accommodations instantly. A police officer familiar with the exercise claimed that a large majority of PG operators in the area lacked the required paperwork.
“About 95% of them do not have the required documents or are not compliant with safety norms. We are going case by case and deciding the course of action.”
The police exercise has carried out a separate pan-Delhi survey by the MCD. The civic body identified 52 dilapidated buildings operating as PGs on the first day of its survey and has so far identified 1,120 PG units housing 20,481 people.
The survey and flagging exercise being undertaken by the housing and security departments of Delhi illustrates the grave underdevelopment and lack of infrastructural wellness in student accommodations across the whole city. Thousands of students live with these fatal security risks every day. With the measures being taken by officials and the government’s promise to create accommodations for 10000 students of Delhi University, students and their potential may finally be relieved.
Image Credits: PTI
Rajarshi Ghosh
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