New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The MCD directed officials to obtain structural safety certificates from over 2,400 paying guest (PG) accommodations within 15 days, following the Delhi High Court-ordered survey after a building collapse killed seven people, including five students, in Satya Niketan, officials said on Wednesday.
The civic body has directed the building departments of all 12 zones to begin the process, asking PG owners and operators to have private structural engineers authorised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) assess their premises. Failure to comply could lead to the premises being vacated and sealed, they said.
A senior MCD official said the survey identified four buildings as visibly dangerous, and the MCD had issued notices directing their evacuation. The remaining properties must submit structural safety certificates, particularly because approved building plans are unavailable for many of them.
“Four buildings were found to be visibly dangerous, and evacuation notices have been issued for all of them. Since approved building plans are unavailable for most of these properties, we have asked the owners to obtain structural safety certificates. At least baseline safety arrangements must be ensured, and the owners have been given 15 days to complete the exercise,” a senior official said.
The certificates are intended to establish whether the buildings are structurally safe, while technical assessments will help determine if they can withstand stresses, including those caused by an earthquake, officials said.
Explaining the difference between identifying an immediately dangerous structure and conducting a detailed structural audit, a civic official said visual inspections could flag buildings that appeared on the verge of collapse but could not establish their structural integrity.
“If a building appears tilted, severely damaged or dangerous to passersby, it can be identified for immediate intervention, including securing the premises, repairs or demolition, as warranted. But a visual inspection alone cannot establish whether a building can withstand an earthquake. That requires a proper structural assessment, including an examination of its beams and columns,” the official said.
The MCD has asked PG owners to engage engineers from its authorised list, available on the civic body’s portal. Private structural engineers will carry out the assessment, and officials said the timeline could be extended if needed to complete the exercise.
The survey covered 2,453 PG accommodations, according to the MCD’s submission before the Delhi High Court on September 25. The buildings housed more than 50,000 residents and comprised over 32,000 rooms. The civic body told the court that it could trace building plans for only around 30 per cent of the properties.
The high court was hearing a batch of public interest litigations raising concerns over the regulation and safety of PG accommodations used by university students in the capital.
Civil Lines, including Delhi University’s North Campus, had the most PG accommodations, with 608. This was followed by Keshavpuram (410), the South zone (390), and Karol Bagh (365). According to the survey, Satya Niketan, which houses several PG accommodations serving students of Delhi University’s South Campus, had 101 such properties. PTI MSJ ASD
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