NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Tuesday began the controlled demolition of a building adjoining the structure that collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan on September 6, killing at least seven people and injuring five.An MCD official said the adjoining building had been declared dangerous and the demolition exercise was stopped in the evening. Work will resume on Wednesday morning, the official added.The building had housed a girls’ paying guest accommodation and was evacuated after the neighbouring five-storey structure collapsed on Sunday.The MCD had issued an order on the day of the collapse directing the owner or occupier of property No. 13 in Satya Niketan to demolish the structure, citing the danger it posed to residents and neighbouring buildings.Officials had earlier said that the students staying in the building had already vacated it and were returning only to collect their belongings before the demolition.Meanwhile, concerns over unsafe and tilting buildings have also emerged in north Delhi’s Nehru Vihar, where residents alleged that a building had tilted several times over nearly a decade because of a faulty sewer line.According to a resident, the structure was demolished and rebuilt once, but developed the same problem again within a few years. The building, which is less than eight years old, was most recently reconstructed around three years ago.Residents alleged that repeated complaints to civic agencies had gone unheard and claimed that poor maintenance by authorities, including the Delhi Jal Board and the MCD, had contributed to the problem.One resident alleged that at least 400 dwellings in the nearby F Block of Gandhi Vihar were tilting in one direction or another. The Delhi Jal Board and the MCD did not immediately respond to the allegations.(With PTI inputs)
