NEW DELHI: Four days after seven lives were lost under the rubble of a four-storey PG in Satya Niketan, the Delhi government’s response is apparently growing louder but not clearer. Announcements have come in waves: structural audits, city-wide inspections, bulldozer action, a new law and even a public portal. What is still missing is the most basic element of governance: a concrete, time-bound plan.
On paper, the response appears aggressive. Since Sunday, around 10-12 major announcements have been made by the Delhi government and the LG. The Chief Minister on Wednesday ordered inspections of PG accommodations and demolition drives against illegal constructions across the city. A draft Bill now proposes mandatory licensing, police clearance and safety NOCs for PGs within 90 days. Authorities have also promised structural audits in PG hubs “within a week”.
But on the ground, the picture is far more fragmented.
Officials have identified dozens of dangerous buildings, at least 62 so far — but a majority still await action, caught between sealing, repair or demolition. Over a thousand PGs have reportedly been surveyed, yet there is no clarity on the methodology, scope or deadline of this exercise. Is this a rapid visual inspection or a structural audit by certified engineers? No one is saying.
Even the demolition drive raises more questions than it answers. Bulldozers have rolled into very few areas, including Laxmi Nagar and Pandav Nagar, but residents have already alleged selective targeting. What criteria determine which buildings are targeted first? Are tenants being evacuated systematically? Is there a rehabilitation plan? What about buildings that accommodate paying guests?
The core issue remains untouched: scale. Delhi is staring at lakhs of buildings, many in dense student hubs, with agencies themselves targeting surveys of over 32 lakh structures annually. In that context, a one-week audit promise sounds less like a roadmap and more like a reaction. There are no laws for a building if it can accommodate or change a flat into a paying guest accommodation.
Meanwhile, the judiciary has also stepped in, with the Delhi High Court seeking a time-bound hostel policy and a broader regulatory framework, something the executive is yet to articulate clearly.
Students in large numbers from Satya Niketan told the newspaper that while the government’s messaging is decisive, its execution remains uncertain.
A second-year student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College said, “These frequent engagements by the government and so many announcements are till the time BRICS get over in the national capital. After that, all of this will be back to normal. There will be no reports of those dangerous buildings, structural audits, inspections etc. Ultimately, students may have to suffer again. There will be no questions on this topic.”