Delhi Building Collapse: Residential Structure Collapses in New Seemapuri, Month After Satya Niketan Tragedy

A residential building collapsed near Idgah Machhli Mandi in Delhi's New Seemapuri area on Wednesday, triggering concern among residents and drawing a crowd to the site.

No casualties have been reported so far. Residents gathered around the collapsed structure as details of the incident remained awaited.

The collapse comes less than a month after a five-storey building in Delhi's Satya Niketan area collapsed, killing seven people and prompting a police investigation into whether structural changes made during renovation had weakened the building.

ANOTHER BUILDING COLLAPSE RAISES CONCERNS

The New Seemapuri incident adds to concerns over the safety of ageing and structurally vulnerable buildings in densely populated parts of the national capital.

While the circumstances behind Wednesday's collapse were not immediately clear, the incident comes at a time when questions over unauthorised construction, renovation work and structural safety have been under scrutiny following the Satya Niketan tragedy.

Further details about the condition of the New Seemapuri building, whether it was occupied at the time of the collapse and the circumstances leading to the incident are awaited.

WHAT HAPPENED IN SATYA NIKETAN?

The Satya Niketan collapse on September 6 claimed seven lives after a five-storey building came down in the area.

A subsequent Delhi Police investigation examined renovation work carried out at the property around 10 days before the collapse.

According to investigators, renovation work was undertaken on the instructions of Mahesh Gupta. The work allegedly involved levelling the basement with the ground floor by filling the basement with around three truckloads of construction debris.

Police also alleged that a wall on the ground floor was removed on the day of the collapse to create additional space for a shop.

Investigators said the removal of the wall, combined with the additional load created by the debris in the basement, affected the structural stability of the building.

CONTRACTOR, PG OPERATOR ARRESTED

Police arrested labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, 35, in connection with the Satya Niketan case. He was apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.

During questioning, Kumar allegedly told investigators that he had been engaged for the renovation work and was being paid Rs 2,800 per day by Mahesh Gupta.

The investigation also found that the building was being used as a paying guest accommodation.

PG operator Shudhanshu Lovneesh, 31, was subsequently arrested by the police in connection with the case.

The Satya Niketan investigation has put the focus on how renovation and structural modifications can affect the safety of buildings, particularly when changes are made to load-bearing structures or existing foundations.

For now, authorities are yet to establish what caused the New Seemapuri building to collapse. The immediate priority remains assessing the site and determining whether anyone was trapped or injured.

With inputs from ANI