New Delhi: More than three weeks after a five-storey PG facility collapsed in Satya Niketan, killing five students and two labourers, the neighbourhood is slowly slipping back into its familiar rhythm. Students can again be seen sharing meals at fast-food kiosks, sipping cold coffee or gathering over tea and cigarettes. But the pile of rubble where the building once stood remains a lingering sign of the tragedy.Residents claimed the student population is slowly thinning out, with shopkeepers rueing their sales have fallen by half. “The streets of Satya Niketan used to feel like a mela every day. It’s not the same anymore,” said Pankaj, a cold-coffee kiosk owner.According to a property dealer, homeowners have also become wary of renting out their properties after the incident. “Given time, everything will go back to normal. The students have no choice but to come back here as, after all, Delhi University does not have enough hostels to accommodate them.”For some students, proximity to colleges, 11-month rent agreements and the hassle of finding a decent flat bind them to the area. In the days after the collapse, while many packed their bags and left their PGs and flats, “some of us cannot afford to leave this place”, said Fiza Rizvi, a student of Maitreyi College who stays in a five-storey PG.Following the tragedy, seven people were arrested for failing to take adequate safety measures during construction and repair work carried on and around the premises. According to building regulations in Delhi, no more than four storeys can be constructed without stilt parking on the ground floor.“I know the top floors have been illegally built, but I can’t just pack up and leave,” said Rizvi. If she chooses to leave before her 11-month rent agreement expires, she would have to forfeit the security deposit, which is worth two months’ rent.Sarthak Singwal, a sixth-semester student of Sri Venkateshwara, told TOI he has decided to stay in Satya Niketan as he wants to focus on academics rather than spending time hunting for a flat. “We came to Delhi University with high hopes and expectations. Future batches will be apprehensive of choosing to study here,” he said.A student of Jesus and Mary College, not wishing to be named, said Satya Niketan was the first location that popped up when she searched for PGs online. “I cannot just shift houses out of fear because something bad happened. A lot of places in Delhi are unsafe, so there is a lot to be considered before deciding anything. But I will definitely find a place somewhere else soon.”
