New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj slammed the authorities for the "slow" pace of rescue operations at the Satya Niketan building collapse site, alleging that students were being deployed to lift bricks and stones while municipal labourers were nowhere to be found.
The Satya Niketan building collapse triggered a large-scale rescue operation and raised questions over construction and safety compliance. The death toll in the incident has risen to seven, while 12 people have been rescued, according to Delhi Police.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Bhardwaj accused the BJP-led administration and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of gross negligence and a lack of empathy toward those trapped under the debris.
“Work was proceeding very slowly; I was present at the site. Students were being deployed to lift bricks and stones. Where did the MCD labourers go? Has the MCD department ceased to exist? This entire display of negligence is happening solely to delay news regarding the children trapped underneath. There is no empathy within the government,” Bhardwaj said.
The AAP leader also criticised the Chief Minister’s visit to the site, suggesting it was more about optics than oversight.
“The Chief Minister's frequent visits with a massive entourage disrupt the work being done there. She should not view the site merely as an opportunity to shoot reels. Ashish Sood, the Minister for the Urban Development Department, which oversees the MCD, has not been seen since yesterday. He was certainly informed about the situation,” he alleged.
Echoing these sentiments, AAP MP Sanjay Singh highlighted the systemic failures that lead to such tragedies, specifically pointing to the lack of safe housing for students near Delhi University’s South Campus.
"The biggest issue is the lack of adequate hostel facilities near Delhi University's South Campus, forcing students to live in PGs. How are these operations allowed to continue in such dilapidated, unsafe buildings? We are seeing nothing but empty rhetoric from BJP leaders. But there is no clear roadmap or plan regarding concrete action," Singh told ANI.
The AAP MP further alleged that corruption and collusion were at the heart of the disaster.
"Some token action might be taken for the sake of appearances, but it seems like dying has become the fate of the common man under BJP rule. All this happens due to collusion, where everyone, from top to bottom, is involved in corruption," Singh added.
The collapse has brought renewed scrutiny on the safety and regulatory compliance of private PG accommodations in areas surrounding Delhi University, where a large number of students, including those from outside Delhi, live in rented accommodation.
Meanwhile, the Duty Magistrate of Patiala House on Monday Night remanded Mahesh Gupta to two days' police custody. His parents, Hariram Gupta and Urmila Gupta, have been remanded to judicial custody.
They were produced at the residence of the duty magistrate late at night.
They have been arrested in connection with the Satya Niketan Building collapse case in which seven people lost their lives after a five-storey building collapsed on September 6.
Duty Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Bhavya Karhail passed the order of remand after hearing the submissions of Delhi police and defence counsel Yashpal Singh.
According to Delhi Police, the building’s electricity connection was in Hariram Gupta’s name, while his son was handling its management. The property was registered in the name of Hariram’s wife, Urmila Gupta. (ANI)
"Students were being deployed to lift bricks, stones": Saurabh Bhardwaj slams MCD's 'slow' rescue at Satya Niketan
