College se paas padta hai toh commute time bacha ke hum woh time padhayi mein lagate hain” – it’s a common sentiment among students living in PGs around the now-infamous Satya Niketan Square. But a day after a boys’ PG building collapsed, killing seven, the proximity that drew students to the area has left them questioning the safety of the roofs over their heads.As anxiety and confusion loomed over the rubble-filled area on Monday evening, we visited the South Campus neighbourhood to speak to residents. From cramped flats, high rents to conflicting answers from PG owners, students say the tragedy has left them worried about whether their accommodation is safe.
The collapsed building site in Satya Niketan, as of Monday evening
‘Owners are not willing to admit these are PGs, all PG signages have been removed’The area is largely occupied by outstation students who have moved to Delhi for education, many living away from home for the first time. Simran Kumar, from Ranchi, a Master’s student of History at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, said her PG owner had asked residents to move out. “Humein bola hai ki do din mein khali kar do flat. Agar relatives ya friends rehte hain toh unke vahan jao. Hum ek mahina pehle aaye hain yahan, kisi ke paas kaise chale jayein? When we asked if it’s risky, they said it’s not unsafe. Their responses are different every time there is an issue. We are not going to budge till we get our security deposits back. Our parents have sent us to PG for our safety, so the owners are now responsible. Itni barish ke baad seelan ho jati hai, usko dekh ke darr lagta hai. We are paying about Rs. 15,000 per person including food but the quality of the food is not good.”
Humein bola hai ki do din mein khali kar do flat. Agar relatives ya friends rehte hain toh unke vahan jao. Hum ek mahina pehle aaye hain yahan, kisi ke paas kaise chale jayein? When we asked if it’s risky, they said it’s not unsafe. Their responses are different every time there is an issue
Simran Kumar, third-year student of History at ARSD College
Signages were either torn or removed from most PG buildings. Falguni, from Madhya Pradesh, a Master’s student of Sanskrit at Sri Venkateswara College, said, “The owners always have a different answer to our issues. Hamare parents ko alag-alag reason dete hain. Kabhi risk hai, kabhi safe hai. Jab parents phone karke poochh rahe hain ki safe hai, toh keh rahe hain hume nahi pata. Aapko kaise nahi pata? Aap pata karo na. They are not even willing to admit that this is a PG. All signages have been removed after the collapse.”
Students allege, ‘The owners always have a different answer to our issues’
‘The PGs here are very congested and unsafe, but other PGs are expensive’The Satya Niketan area has multiple PG accommodations. Around 200m away, near a milk booth, there are newer PG buildings that are relatively safer, according to residents. One resident, Mohd Mubashir Alam, a third-year Political Science student at Motilal Nehru College, shared, “Jab collapse hua toh hum friends video call pe thay aur bahut zor se awaaz aayi thi. Meri PG building nayi bani hai woh isse better hai aur cramped nahi hai. Lekin Hostel Daze toh sabse achhi thi iss area mein.”He was also part of the relief efforts undertaken by his college’s NSS unit. “Jo bhi donation aayi thi, humne woh aas-paas ke colleges mein jaake distribute kar diya hai. Vahan pe students thehre huye hain, college ki taraf se temporary accommodation mein.”Kunal Pegu, a graduate from Aryabhatta College, said, “I used to live here in my first year but my experience was really bad. The PGs are very congested and they’re unsafe. The food provided was unhygienic. I got sick with dengue and typhoid in my first year here. Now I live in Moti Bagh which is comparatively better but the rent of the whole area is very high.”
Narrow streets show the congested buildings and wire clusters in the residential area inhabited by students
‘Bohot zor se awaaz aayi thi, it felt like an earthquake’Before help arrived, locals and fellow students tried removing debris with their hands to save those trapped underneath. Hailing from Patna, Ankit Kumar, a third-year Political Science student at Motilal Nehru College, said, “Bahut zor se awaaz aayi thi, pehle humein laga bhukamp aaya hai. Jab balcony se bahar dekha toh bas dhuan tha, kuch dikhayi nahi de raha tha. Jaldi se hum sab neeche aaye aur malba hatana shuru kiya. Teen logon ko humne andar se nikala, 15-20 logon ne milke. Tab tak koi help ke liye nahi aaya tha. Police aur fire tender ko aane mein dedh-do ghante lage.”
Iron pillars are being put in place to reinforce weakened structures in the area, including those that have been ordered to evacuate
At the collapse site, a teacher from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, who did not wish to be named, was seen checking on students living in the area and advising them to move elsewhere and apply for hostel accommodation at the college. One of the students told us, “College se paas padta hai yeh area toh commute time bacha ke hum woh time padhayi mein lagate hain. Lekin ab yeh poora area unsafe ho chuka hai. Two adjoining buildings (adjacent to the site of the collapse) have been evacuated and served demolition notices by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).”Meanwhile, an MCD notice issued for one of the adjacent premises described the property as being in a “ruinous, dangerous condition” and warned that it posed a threat to anyone living in, using or even passing by the property.
An MCD notice issued for one of the adjacent premises (pictured here) described the property as being in a “ruinous, dangerous condition” and warned that it posed a threat to anyone living in, using or even passing by the property
Yahan pe sab isiliye rehte hain kyunki college se paas padta hai. Rent bahut zyada hai. Hum teen log sirf rehne ka Rs.10,000 per person dete hain, uske upar se bijli, paani aur mahine ka khana milake Rs.15,000-20,000 tak kharcha ho jata hai
Ankit Kumar, a third year student of Political Science at Motilal Nehru College
