The Delhi Police have launched a massive manhunt to trace the owner of the building that collapsed in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday, killing at least six people, as search and rescue operations continue at the site.
Police have formed multiple teams to trace and apprehend Hariram, the owner, and have conducted searches at several locations.
Hariram and others have been booked under charges including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure, and endangering the safety of others.
The 50-year-old multi-storey building, which housed a boys’ paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus, had allegedly violated several safety norms. The property, which stood on a plot measuring around 55 square yards, collapsed while repair work was underway on the ground floor.
The death toll has risen to six, while around a dozen students have been rescued so far.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that several students may still be trapped under the rubble. Multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), have been carrying out rescue operations at the site.
“We expect the entire rescue operation to conclude by this afternoon or, at the latest, by evening,” BJP’s RK Puram MLA Anil Sharma said.
Authorities are examining whether the repair work underway on the ground floor was unauthorised. Sharma said one or two load-bearing walls may have been disturbed or removed during the alterations, potentially causing the building to collapse.
“This is a major tragedy caused by the actions of the builder or the property owner. If such work were to be undertaken, an engineer should have been engaged to prevent such an incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has launched a major crackdown on illegal constructions, saying that all illegal structures with more than four floors would be immediately sealed.
