A dilapidated five-storey building undergoing construction had to collapse like a pack of cards to warn the government and the Delhi University administration that there are not enough residential accommodations for students in Delhi. The building used as a paying guest, or PG accommodation, in the crowded Satya Niketan area fell, snuffing out seven young lives. This tragedy is not the first in the history of the capital city.
Just three months ago, a major fire destroyed a hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, killing about 23 people and injuring several others. The place accommodated relatives of patients admitted in the swanky hospital across the road. Several such building collapses and fire incidents in heavily crowded places in Delhi have happened. Rescue operations are undertaken, most of the time assisted by the neighbours and passersby, politicians condemn the incident, government officials hold meetings, officials are transferred, charges are filed by the police, and, eventually, the situation is ‘back to normal’ once again.
Delhi reportedly witnessed over 1,130 building collapse incidents between 2022 and 2024. Media reports suggest that more than a thousand buildings collapse in India every year. While these are only reported figures, actual numbers could be bigger.
Besides the loss of lives, when a building collapses, especially the one occupied by students, it’s nothing short of a shameful incident for the government of the day. One can easily blame the previous governments and book corrupt officials and greedy builders. But the negligence and apathy on the part of the political class of every party cannot be condoned. This apathy is probably due to the credit-blame calculation. Cutting the inauguration ribbon for a building gets them votes while enforcing regulations and conducting periodic audits bring them in conflict with the builder-bureaucrats nexus. The nexus between politicians and builders has regularised several illegal colonies all over the country.
What bad planning can cost
Some of the finest cities across the world have regular structural audits and a foolproof administrative system to prevent the buildings from falling. In Singapore, the law mandates strict Periodical Structural Inspection (PSI) of residential buildings every ten years under the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) rules, with heavy penalties for violations. When a building fails the structural test, its owner must carry out the necessary repair work and submit its certifications to the BCA. Besides, buildings that are older than twenty years and taller than 13 metres have to undergo separate Periodic Facade Inspection (PFI) every seven years.
Moreover, public housing estates undergo regular scheduled enhancements — such as under the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) — rather than full rebuilds every decade. Private housing projects have to follow very strict guidelines that are based on the assessment that the average life span of a building is about 33 years.
There is no reason why Indian cities should not have such strict regulations. The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) does provide regulations for housing projects, but it does not prescribe detailed technical construction-quality standards. Besides, poor quality construction projects are seldom identified and penalised. Court cases linger on for years, sometimes beyond the life of the litigants.
Hauz Rani in south Delhi situated opposite Max Hospital is a classic example of bad planning. While more hospitals are needed, there should be adequate provision for unrestricted movement of vehicles not associated with the hospital. It is not unusual for patients to be accompanied by several relatives, requiring more space for their stay. Several unauthorised hotel-like facilities have mushroomed in an unauthorised colony, throwing all caution to the winds. The fire in one such ‘hotel’ situated between shops and residential buildings on a narrow lane took about 23 lives. There was no fire exit, safe evacuation provisions or system to handle emergencies. The fact that such hotels were allowed to be built and occupied itself is an appalling and flagrant violation of rules and regulations.
Also read: Satya Niketan was not an accident. Delhi has a student housing problem
The need of the hour
Delhi is not unique, the situation is more or less the same across the country. Swanky housing colonies and high-rise structures are surrounded by illegal shanties, often accommodating the labour class that provides services to these super rich families. Such housing colonies and institutions are built so close to the main road that at times there is a distance of less than ten metres between the road and the buildings. The problem is not the lack of regulations but the lack of enforcement and accountability. The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Delhi government, the Centre, and the Delhi University asking them to come up with a comprehensive plan to provide students with affordable housing.
The need of the hour is a new master plan for all cities with the objective to reduce urbanisation and clear the cities of slums and illegal colonies. The plan should also include mandatory annual safety audits of high-risk buildings, online registration of buildings’ safety records, strict accountability and punishment for violations of rules, strict prevention of illegal buildings, and mandatory hostel facility in every educational institution for students from other cities.
India cannot aspire to be a fully developed country, Viksit Bharat, in the next 20 years, with such tottering infrastructure, lack of affordable and safe accommodation for students, and strict laws with stricter enforcement. One of the important milestones on the road to Viksit Bharat is very high quality higher education institutions. This includes not just modern pedagogy and trained faculty but also better classrooms and safe and affordable accommodation for students.
Seshadri Chari is the former editor of ‘Organiser’. He tweets @seshadrichari. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)