Greed Kills More Students And That's What Happened At Satya Niketan Building Collapse

A building does not simply collapse. It does not one afternoon decide to give way, crumble under its own weight and come crashing onto a road, taking with it the dreams of young people who had their entire lives ahead of them. Buildings collapse when something has gone wrong long before the structure comes down. And too often, behind that failure is a dangerous combination of greed, negligence and a willingness to put profit before people's lives. And that is why, the important questions that must be asked are: Who allowed the building owner to build additional floors and renovate without proper safety measures in place? Where were the authorities whose job it was to ensure that a building housing students was safe? If this was an ageing building with multiple floors being used as a hostel, was it ever inspected? Were the additional floors sanctioned? Was its structural safety ever assessed? Did anyone check the renovation work? Did anyone inspect buildings housing students to see if it was fit to house anyone? And if inspections were conducted and violations were found, why was action not taken? The shocking images from Satya Niketan, a locality that has for decades been home to students of DU's South Campus, should therefore not merely leave us asking how a building collapsed and six children died. They should force us to ask who allowed it to reach the point where it could collapse in the first place? Who will answer for what happened and by answer we mean who will take responsibility for the deaths? For years, students have lived in paying guest accommodations and hostels in these neighbourhoods because they have little choice. With Delhi University campuses attracting students from across the country, and DU hostels offered only on merit, there is dearth of affordable and accessible accommodation. That demand has created an entire ecosystem of PGs, hostels and rented accommodation around Univeristy campuses. And where there is enormous demand, there is money to be made. Residents say that over the last decade, they have watched buildings in the area grow vertically, with floors being added and accommodation being squeezed into increasingly limited spaces. Students are charged hefty rents, while the question of whether these structures are actually safe often appears to come much later... if it comes at all. This is where Satya Niketan should become a warning, not merely a tragedy. Perhaps the most disturbing image from the incident is that of a student recording himself on his phone, covered in blood and rubble, pleading to be rescued. Those responsible should look at that footage and ask themselves - could that have been your child? We must ask the authorities if this could have been prevented... because that is the question that cannot be allowed to disappear beneath the rubble. Why were authorities looking the other way? Was anyone deliberately ignoring violations? Was anyone being pressured to ignore them? Was anyone potentially being paid to turn a blind eye? If a building was allowed to remain unsafe because someone chose money over enforcement, then this is not merely a story about structural failure. It is a story about human failure and it cannot end with an assurance. It cannot end with a few officials visiting the spot, compensation being announced, a committee being formed and the news cycle moving on. Because the uncomfortable truth is that Satya Niketan is not just about one building. It is about the temptation to add another floor because another room means more tenants and more income. It is about renovation taking place without adequate safety checks and pushing ageing buildings beyond what they can carry. It is about authorities knowing that densely populated neighbourhoods around universities are bursting at the seams and yet failing to conduct comprehensive structural safety audits. And it is about a chain of accountability where everyone can eventually say, 'I was not responsible.' The recent building fire in Saket and the deaths that followed should have been a warning. If they were not enough, Satya Niketan must be. Delhi needs a comprehensive audit of student hostels, PGs and rented accommodations in university neighbourhoods. Not a token inspection after a disaster, but a systematic exercise before one happens. Every building being used to house students must be mapped. Its sanctioned floors, structural condition, occupancy, electrical systems, fire safety measures, emergency exits and ongoing construction or renovation must be checked. The entire chain that allowed an unsafe structure to operate as student accommodation must be examined and every person in that chain, from private operators and contractors to officials responsible for enforcement, must face consequences. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Times Now Digital.