India

Delhi PG Residents Question Building Safety After Deadly Satya Niketan Collapse

By Hadi Khan

The collapse of a five-storey building housing a boys' paying guest facility in south Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6, which killed seven people, has prompted widespread concern among PG residents across Delhi-NCR about the safety of the buildings they live in.

According to the FIR registered in the case, building owner Hariram Gupta and his brother had constructed four additional floors atop the decades-old structure to increase rental income, allegedly despite knowing the foundation could not support the extra weight. The building was over 40 years old and had recently been repaired and converted into a PG facility to capitalize on its proximity to Delhi University.

Mahesh Gupta, who managed the property on behalf of his parents Hariram and Urmila, told investigators the building had been leased to PG operator 'Hostel Daze' in August 2025. Police said two ground-floor shops were being merged and expanded at the time of the collapse, and sources indicated a load-bearing wall may have been removed during construction, potentially compromising the structure. The property reportedly generated more than Rs 4 lakh in monthly revenue. Investigators are also examining an alleged