- 7 weeks ago
In this India Today programme video, anchor Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor reports on the aftermath of the deadly Satya Niketan building collapse in South Delhi, which claimed seven lives and left several others injured.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:07Hello and welcome I'm Sorul Mehrotra Kapoor and we come to you from South Campus. Now
00:12the stories from Satya Niketan have been pretty vivid. I'm sure it's captured your imagination as
00:17well. What we do know as of this point is that seven kids are dead. There are several others
00:23who are fighting for their life inside the hospital and we don't have a number on how many exact
00:29number on how many could still be trapped under that building collapse. But as Satya Niketan
00:35building has collapsed the entire area around has turned into a ghost town and where after having
00:42sort of wrecked the place where I'm coming from is a place like this. I'm inside Sri Venkateshwara
00:47College where classrooms like these have been converted now into dormitories. Students are
00:53scared and because a lot of them stay around the Satya Niketan area they have emptied their
00:59PGs they don't know what could be next or their building if that could be next and that's why
01:05classrooms like these in colleges like these at Sri Venkateshwara College where I am at the moment
01:10have been converted into dormitories. You've got students over here there are separate dormitories
01:15for boys and for girls and here I'm gonna try and speak with them to try and understand what really
01:22happens next, what exactly is running on the minds of the students and then the important question
01:28where does the buck stop when it comes to all of it. I'm Sodal Merotra Kapoor and I'll be taking
01:32you
01:33through all of that is unfolding here in Delhi University but first up let's quickly see what
01:38the headlines are telling us on top of five.
01:47Rescue operations are continuing at Delhi Satya Niketan where a five-story building
01:51accommodation collapsed, killing seven people and injuring several others. Teams are still reaching
01:57the rubble amid fears that more students could be trapped. The magistral inquiry has been ordered
02:02and building owner Hari Ram Gupta has been napped. Delhi High Court has now sought an inquiry into MCD's
02:08highest executive level into whether collapsing buildings had valid construction permits.
02:25Seven lives lost in Satya Niketan building collapse and now accountability reaching the civic administration. MCD has now suspended
02:32five south zone officials including Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar over the tragedy. The action comes as questions
02:39intensify over building safety, construction and civic oversight. CM Rekha Gupta has now ordered a strict action against those found
02:47responsible. Building with the fifth floor across Delhi have been ordered to be
02:51sealed immediately.
02:58Satya Niketan collapse has triggered a political showdown now.
03:02The opposition has accused civic authorities of negligence over safety. Rahul Gandhi has flagged the shortage of hostels, alleging that
03:09students are being punished. They are being pushed as well into overcrowded, unsafe
03:14PGs. With DU polls now approaching, NSUI is targeting the Delhi government while ABVP is demanding MCD commissioners' resignation.
03:27Thousands of MPSC aspirants are on the streets
03:31of Pune demanding answers over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in recruitment exams. The protesters are demanding the resignation
03:38of the MPSC chairman and secretary along with probes into the drug inspector exam and alleged evacuation errors in those
03:46examinations.
03:54Congress leaders and workers held a march outside Uttarakhand chief minister's residence protesting the FIRE against Rahul Gandhi and the
04:04Haldwani purification controversy.
04:06Senior leaders including state in charge, Kumari Shelja joined the protest. The party is seeking action over alleged purification rituals
04:14following Mr. Kharki's rally in Haldwani.
04:22Justice Ashwini Kumar Mishra has taken oath at the chief justice of Punjab in Haryana High Court despite objections raised
04:28by the Punjab government.
04:30The governor there, Gulab Chand Katari administered the oath at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
04:35Punjab chief minister Bhagavan was absent while the Punjab cabinet has earlier passed the resolution seeking to halt the ceremony.
04:50Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay has engaged a fierce face-off against opposition DMK in the assembly.
04:56Addressing the allegations of corruption, women's safety and law in order, launched a sharp counter-offensive against DMK chief,
05:04also accusing them of past corruption.
05:28All right, so those were the headlines at this hour and I continue to be here in colleges in Delhi
05:33University in the South Campus.
05:35This is Sri Venkateshwala College where the classrooms have turned into dormitory because students are finding it extremely unsafe to
05:42go back to their PG's.
05:44I'm going to speak to a couple of them, but first up, a couple of reactions that are coming in.
05:48Let me cut across to what the headline is.
05:50The big breaking news at this hour is the reaction that is coming from Rahul Gandhi.
05:54He says in an ex-post, and I quote that now,
05:57that the BJP government follows a very shameful pattern every time.
06:01No preventive measures before accidents, only rhetoric afterwards.
06:06Responsibility is hoisted upon a few low-level officials while the real culprits remain free of accountability.
06:12The collapse of the student-filled building in Satinaketan is not an isolated tragedy.
06:18In the last four months, six people have died in a similar tragedy in Sahibudullabad,
06:23and also fire claimed 22 lives in Hozrani.
06:27Every time, lives, dreams, aspirations are buried under the rubble.
06:32And every time, action is nowhere to be found.
06:34And when you demand accountability, it's a long one, the post that has come in from Rahul Gandhi.
06:39He says, the Prime Minister himself labels you insulting terms like urban naxal or sulking uncle.
06:48The aim being to shame, defame and silence those who ask the questions.
06:53It's a long post there that has come in from Rahul Gandhi.
06:57My colleague, Moshmi, has been tracking all the developments here,
07:00and also covers the Congress party.
07:03Let me go to her for more.
07:04Moshmi, the lines, the statement by Rahul Gandhi and the post makes it very clear.
07:11But a bit late in the day, won't you say?
07:20I mean, isn't it the government that has to answer?
07:23We've seen a lot of politics erupt,
07:25and perhaps this incident is beyond all the politicking that's happening on either sides.
07:31That is the pertinent question that every student is asking,
07:35that every time such an incident happens,
07:37there is a lot of UN cry over it and some officials suspended.
07:43But the larger question is not addressed,
07:45that who put these students to risk?
07:48And here Rahul Gandhi is talking about a triple engine ki sarkar,
07:51saying that it's not double engine, including the MCD.
07:55It's a triple engine government that's ruling the ruse.
07:58And if you ask a question, you're called either a dimagi naxal
08:03or you're called out as an aras fupa.
08:05So that's the politics.
08:07If you put the politics aside, you know, there is a lot of anger.
08:11There is a lot of shock.
08:12There is a lot of trauma here in Satya Nikhetan where I'm standing, Sonal.
08:17And even as I talk, you know, the telling story of Satya Nikhetan
08:22is writ large on this building right behind me,
08:26which is a five-storey building.
08:27It's just leaning towards us as if it's going to fall.
08:31Four or five notices stuck here.
08:34The building has been vacated, but it's not been demolished.
08:37And either side, there's a lot of congestion.
08:41Temple, sweet shop, lots of buildings all around.
08:45And it is a ticking time bomb right here behind me.
08:49So that is the story of Satya Nikhetan, which actually is the question
08:53and the issue that everybody is asking.
08:55Till when will the students be put on the edge?
09:03Well, that's right.
09:05And while you talk about the story of Satya Nikhetan over there, Moshmi,
09:08I have with me students over here who tell you what's happening now.
09:12Now, what you see over here is not supposed to be a dormitory.
09:15This is supposed to be a classroom.
09:17There's a blackboard over there.
09:18There's a teacher's desk.
09:19But currently, there are water bottles.
09:21There are some bananas.
09:22And on the floor, you have mattresses and sheets being put out
09:27so that students who are scared, who don't want to go back to those PGs right now,
09:32can actually find house over here.
09:35Now, these are the preparations that are being done by colleges.
09:37Several of them, we are told, in the South Campus.
09:39So I thought it would be important to see where kids are going
09:42and what exactly is happening to them now as they continue to understand
09:46how the story and the tragedy is unfolding.
09:49Let me speak to a couple of them.
09:50Your name is Kavya, you said, right?
09:52Could you just step ahead a little bit for me, Kavya?
09:54Thanks so much.
09:54Kavya, you come from Alabad.
09:56How long have you been studying here at Delhi University?
09:58This is my second year.
10:00This is your second year.
10:01You also stay at Satya Niketan, you told me.
10:03Yes, ma'am.
10:04Could you describe to me what happened?
10:07It was supposed to be a lazy Sunday.
10:10I'm assuming everybody was inside their PGs,
10:13just having a regular Sunday, getting into the ease
10:16or getting into the mindset that Monday is going to hit tomorrow
10:19and then suddenly the building came crashing down.
10:21Where were you at that point?
10:22I was actually at my friend's house at that time
10:25when we got to news that the building has collapsed
10:29and it is so close to my PG.
10:32The first reaction was obviously shock.
10:35I was shocked and scared, obviously.
10:40How did you decide that you're going to move out of your PG,
10:43which is very close to that building and come here?
10:45How did that happen?
10:47I came today from my friend's house
10:49and the first instance was that I'm not going to stay there.
10:53Since there was no one at my floor,
10:55everyone went to their close relatives or guardians, whatever.
10:59So I came here, I came to the college.
11:02I see.
11:02So you're saying Satya Niketan, the buildings that still stand at that point,
11:06it's become a bit of a ghost town.
11:07All kids have left Satya Niketan.
11:10Is that true?
11:10What's your story?
11:11Where do you come from?
11:13Actually, the incident site is 10 to 15 steps away from my PG.
11:18Steps?
11:1910 to 15 steps away from you?
11:21Yeah.
11:22It's 10 to 15 steps away.
11:24And when I got to know that the building collapsed,
11:27actually, I was sleeping because last night,
11:29my soini dikuri rat.
11:30So it was very horrible to know,
11:32if we are coming from our hometowns to,
11:35from our hometowns to,
11:37in our capital city, Delhi.
11:39So we expect that we will have good facilities here.
11:42So we can stay here.
11:44We can live our life.
11:46And we can just study.
11:48And we even want to...
11:49to achieve our dreams.
11:53But,
11:53this is really shocking.
11:55Because nobody expected it.
11:57And that PG which was there,
11:59it was a long time there.
12:00And I'm in second year.
12:02So,
12:02in the first year,
12:03there are many fruits and vegetables vendors.
12:10So it was very disturbing for me.
12:12I was not getting a very good wife.
12:18So I thought,
12:19I would go here.
12:20Because,
12:20this is a good place.
12:22This is a good place.
12:23But,
12:23I can get a little peace.
12:25Because,
12:26there is a JCB.
12:27There is a lot of ambulances.
12:29What about your stuff?
12:30All of you guys,
12:30have you just packed your backpacks and come here?
12:33What about things that you have?
12:34Your books?
12:37Your belongings?
12:38What about all of them?
12:39We have left them.
12:41We have left them.
12:42Yeah.
12:43Obviously,
12:44life costs more than those things,
12:46those stuff.
12:47So we actually...
12:47And nobody is going back, huh?
12:49That's not the case.
12:50Actually,
12:51I'm here for some time.
12:52And I will go there again.
12:53Because,
12:54the building in which I live,
12:55that is basically house of few people.
12:57So they live there.
12:59So the condition of my PG is obviously quite well.
13:01So I can live there.
13:03And I came two hours,
13:05two hours back here.
13:07Yeah.
13:07All right.
13:08So this is what you're hearing,
13:10is the situation here on the ground.
13:13Like I said,
13:14like I said,
13:15that the entire Satya Niketan,
13:17despite how far you live from the building that has collapsed,
13:21there is now an atmosphere of fear.
13:24People,
13:25students like these who live in PG's around,
13:28don't feel safe in the buildings anymore,
13:30which is why places like these and colleges
13:32have been converted into dormitories.
13:35I have students,
13:35more of them with me,
13:36some of them have been helping overnight
13:38to clear out some doubts that people have
13:41and also help other students get the information
13:44that this is where,
13:45this is a safe place
13:46and they can come here if they need be.
13:48I'll keep talking to them through the course of the program,
13:52but let me also introduce my colleagues
13:53who are joining us from different locations
13:55and bringing us different aspects of this story.
13:58I'm joined by Shivani,
13:59who's been tracking the story from the very beginning.
14:01I'll try and go across to her as well,
14:03along with other colleagues of mine
14:04who join us now on the program to give us a clear update.
14:08I'm also joined by Anshul, my colleague,
14:12who is at the site of the collapse.
14:17Also joining us now is Arpit Dhandodia.
14:20Arpit is a close friend of Arpit judge
14:24who actually has not unfortunately survived this entire incident.
14:28I want to understand what's going on in his mind as well.
14:31And also joining us now is Ayushman Sharma.
14:34He's also a student and has things to say about the event.
14:38But let me first cut across to my colleague Shivani Ananshul.
14:41Shivani, take us through what exactly is happening where you are.
14:44And I believe when I was coming here and I was speaking with students,
14:49one thing that really struck me out,
14:50that students are really angry that this has been almost 24 hours
14:55and even now the entire debris has not been cleared.
14:59We have no actual number of how many students are still there.
15:03Are they dead? Are they alive?
15:05And that is what is really causing a lot of angst.
15:09That even when a tragedy like this happens,
15:12the response time of the authorities has not been up to the mark.
15:19Sonal, I'm right now at the trauma center of Ames.
15:22I've been here since morning.
15:24I've been interacting with the families of a few of the diseased
15:28and their friends too.
15:30And it's very shocking and it's very unfortunate.
15:34The anguish, the pain cannot be understood without seeing the situation on ground.
15:40The parents who are here to take the mortal remains of their children,
15:45who are here to study and aspiring to be IAS officer,
15:50to be some professionals here,
15:53but they are taking their mortal remains from here.
15:55And the point of anguish is not one.
15:58There are multiple such points on which the students are angry.
16:01The information is not clear.
16:03The first responders took very long to respond.
16:08Initially, the students had to help their friends who were stuck inside that debris.
16:14How many numbers are there?
16:16It's still not clear.
16:17But yes, twelve children were rescued, out of which seven have lost their life.
16:23Three are in Sabdarjung.
16:24The rescue operation still continues.
16:27And we've also seen some action happening in terms of the suspension of MCD officials.
16:32But that's not enough, Sonal, because every time this kind of an incident happens,
16:38these kind of suspensions take place.
16:40But what happens again, it's really shocking to see that we've been seeing a string of such disasters
16:45in the national capital in the last few years, starting from the Rajain Nagar Coaching Institute disaster,
16:52where three students had lost their lives.
16:54In June, we've seen how the Malviya Nagar bread and breakfast facility caught fire.
17:00Twenty-three lives were lost.
17:01And every time this happens, there is action on ground.
17:05But later on, nothing happens.
17:07And the MCD that is accountable for this whole situation, how the norms were being flouted,
17:14why these buildings exist in first place, and why the PG was running there, is a big question, Sonal,
17:20that the government needs to answer today.
17:26Right, Shivani Lepi, thanks so much for that update.
17:29We're really hoping speedy recovery for all those students who are fighting for their life,
17:33and hoping against hope at this point that there are survivors who actually make it through.
17:39Let me also cut across to my colleague Anshul, who joins us from the collapse site.
17:42Anshul, can you take us through what exactly is the situation right now?
17:47Like I was asking Shivani also, the real angst that the students seem to have over here
17:51is the fact that there is still no clearance of debris that has taken place,
17:55and that is causing a lot of issues.
17:57People say that the first respondents, of course, were the students
18:01and the people who live around the area, but they were the ones still wondering
18:05if they should be using their hands to clear out the debris,
18:08and what exactly is the situation there, and is there a number of how many students
18:13we are looking at who could still be trapped inside?
18:21Well, yes, I'll just let the visuals speak for themselves.
18:25You can see over here that this entire area has now almost been cleared up.
18:29The last leg of the clearance operation is underway at this point in time.
18:33There is a lot of debris that had collected in the basement,
18:36and that became a very, very difficult task for the authorities to go ahead and clean that debris
18:41which was inside the basement. In fact, one of the bodies that was recovered this morning
18:46was actually from the stairs of the said basement.
18:50It was seeming like, is what the authorities are telling us, that the person was trying to escape,
18:54but it was not his lucky day, so to say.
18:59He was not able to get out of the building in time, and he lost his life on the stairs
19:03of the basement
19:04that was established over here. Another thing that I'd like to point out is the rampant corruption
19:08that can be seen in this entire area, in this entire vicinity.
19:12The building that you're seeing on your screens right now is the building which is right next to the building
19:17which has collapsed. Now, the MCD has finally woken up and has said that the owners of this building
19:23need to demolish this. But if you look at this entire building, you'll see that there are almost no pillars
19:28that are in this entire building, and it's just made up of 4-inch bricks.
19:32The entire building, 5-floor building, is made up of entire bricks.
19:35So even a small shake-up or even a small incident could trigger massive, massive issues.
19:42At this point in time, this building per se has been evacuated.
19:48People have been taken out from here, but this is not the story of just one building.
19:53Hundreds of such buildings are operating in this entire area.
19:56We have been reporting that since morning.
19:58How buildings that are in bad conditions are being allowed to operate freely.
20:04Remember, this is a residential area. This is not a commercial area.
20:08So any commercial activities in these buildings could not happen.
20:11But in each and every building that is situated in this vicinity of Satyaniketan,
20:15there is commercial activity that is happening as well.
20:20Definitely, this is a clear case of rampant corruption where it seems like that owners of such buildings are in
20:27hand in glove with the authorities,
20:30with the members of the officers of the MCD, and also local beat police officers as well.
20:36Because without their permission, something like this could not happen.
20:39Such buildings at such a massive scale could not be constructed,
20:42if at all officers from the MCD and the local police officers on the beat were vigilant
20:48and would have taken action at the right time.
20:50Probably the lives of these seven students who have died in this very, very tragic incident,
20:54probably that Christian's life could have been saved.
21:02All right. Thanks, Anshul, so much for joining us with the very latest.
21:05We really hope that the entire area is cleared out soon and we get a full picture of what exactly
21:11went wrong over there.
21:12But while I speak with the students, I just want to give all you viewers a quick glimpse of what
21:17colleges are really looking like right now.
21:19Like I said, these are supposed to be classrooms which currently have been turned into makeshift dormitories.
21:24Where students are sitting, they've gotten their little backpacks, some bananas in, water bottle here.
21:30And this is what is going to be home for them for the next couple of days, if not weeks
21:36at the moment.
21:37I'm also joined by, just tell me your name, sir.
21:39I'm Dr. Asis Thakur. I'm faculty in Department of Political Science and also the Public Relations Officer of Srivankatishra College.
21:47Sir, give us a glimpse of an understanding of who all are here
21:51and what time did you decide that classrooms had to be converted into makeshift dormitories
21:56and that students need to come here and feel safe?
21:59Yeah. So Srivankatishra College is just in front of the, maybe two meters in front of where this crisis has
22:08taken place.
22:09And we received this information around 1.40 p.m. yesterday.
22:15So Principal Vajalaravi, under his evil guidance, the college has immediately taken this step to ensure the safety of the
22:27students
22:27and whatever fear they had out of this incident that this be addressed.
22:32So college came up with the notification under the principal guidance that it will provide all the possible help, accommodation,
22:42food.
22:42I'm seeing little packets over here. I see packets of sanitary napkins, I see deliveries that have been made of
22:50food over here,
22:51and clothes, some sheets to be put on, water, and the rest of it being provided as well.
22:58This is basically the help desk which has been set up for students who want to come in, right?
23:02Yes. The college, NSS has taken off Srivankatishra College this step.
23:09And we have also students from the other colleges donating all the necessary help that can be possibly be in
23:17this situation.
23:18And all kind of help for not only just today, as you have seen that the classroom,
23:25it has been turned on the immediate basis into dormitory for the accommodation.
23:33But then for another possible days, till wherever students, they require the help,
23:39college has opened its door to provide all kind of help.
23:43There is all these dormitories, they are just adjacent to medical.
23:47You have provided all the classrooms, one floor for girls, one floor for boys, that's how it's going to be.
23:51Immediate major, but then college will be not taking the majors to save the girls as students,
23:58either in the hostel PG, which the college has a separate PG for the, sorry, hostel for the girls, and
24:05also hostel for the boys.
24:07So the girls...
24:08Let me come back to the help desk over here, and you have the NSS volunteers here as well,
24:13and the help desk, like I said, with all the details over here.
24:16There is a collection drive, which seems to be on right now, in very DU style, asking people to come
24:21in.
24:22Like I said, there are sanitary napkins, there are clothes, there are sheets, there's some food,
24:27all of that, towels, etc., which has been brought in here to ensure that whoever comes in need can be
24:32helped.
24:33I have a couple of students here with me as well.
24:35Give me your name, and where do you live?
24:37My name is Garvish Kiran, and I live near Lajpat only.
24:42So we've just come to help as much as we can from our part, and we are really trying, and
24:48I'm an NSS volunteer as well.
24:50But these are our core members, they are sitting here, and they are really trying their best to give as
24:59much help as possible.
25:01We are conducting a donation drive, like you can donate any necessary items, like, as you can see, fruit juice,
25:11sanitary.
25:11Because I believe the worry is not just of that one PG building collapsing.
25:15A lot of surrounding areas, they were telling me that it's become, Satya Niketa now is a ghost town.
25:21Nobody wants to live there anymore, and all the students have moved out.
25:24They've either gone to their PG's, as in their local guardians, or any relative they know.
25:29And those who don't have anyone are coming to colleges, which have now, sort of, are trying to provide for
25:35them.
25:35Is that correct?
25:36Yeah.
25:37Okay, I reside in Great Noida.
25:39So before, like in my second year, my parents were trying to shift me from here.
25:43But given the conditions, it is so horrible, so, so horrible, that they were like,
25:48it's far better that I commute every day from Great Noida, which is like two hours for one side.
25:53So that was a far better of a chance than to stay here, because the hygiene, the water, the food,
25:59the conditions, everything is literally horrible.
26:02This was a long time coming, you're saying?
26:04No, this is like, this is like four or five months back, well, I think.
26:07And the thing is, apart from the hygiene and everything, the PG owners, they are also horrible.
26:12They are, they only see this as a money laundering thing, and all they see it is as a business.
26:16They do not care anything about what the people are, or about the students.
26:19So that's a sentiment you hear a lot when you come here in, in the campus.
26:25Because outside also, I can tell you that right outside the Sri Venkateshwara College, in fact, let me, you know,
26:31make you have a glimpse of what it's looking like.
26:35Right outside as well, I don't know if you can hear it from my mic, but there are protests going
26:39on all across.
26:40So let me give you an understanding of where this is.
26:43I am at the main entry of the Sri Venkateshwara College.
26:46Inside, there are classrooms.
26:48Inside, there are classrooms which have been converted into dormitories, and outside, that's the main gate.
26:53This entire road, by the way, that you see, is choco-block, because of all the JCBs, of all the
26:59cars that are going in.
27:00That entire road is blocked, and there are protests being carried out right outside.
27:04So this entire campus area, there's this eerie sense of unease that has really taken over, which is what really
27:11captures you the minute you come here first.
27:13Let me also now cut across to Arpit.
27:19I just want to check with the producers if I have Arpit with me.
27:22And if, Arpit, you can hear me.
27:24My question is just this.
27:26When you hear about, right, Arpit and Ayushman are both with us.
27:31Arpit, let me come to you first.
27:33When you heard about the incident for the first time, and those videos that have now gone viral, you can't
27:40unsee them.
27:40If you've seen the video of the boy who was there, who was trying to capture and show and send
27:46his location to everyone.
27:48It's not a visual that really leaves you.
27:51When you saw that, and you got to know that one of those peoples under the rubble were actually your
27:56friend.
27:57What did you do?
27:58What was your first reaction?
28:00Actually, I live in the same lane where the building was that demolished the PG hostel days.
28:08And the strange thing happened was we couldn't heard when the building demolished.
28:16Like some five-story building will crash.
28:19So you could have heard something, right?
28:21But you can't heard people shouting at all.
28:26It was a Sunday.
28:28It was like everybody was sleeping at 10 a.m. or something.
28:32And when the building demolished at 1 p.m. or around 1 p.m., we didn't even notice around our
28:41area.
28:43We noticed in our WhatsApp group, someone from our college posted that a building in Satya Niketan has crashed.
28:53So like when we go to the area, the field, it was really like you can't explain what we experienced
29:04at that time.
29:05Because my classmate, my friend, my best friend, Arpit Jaj was in that building.
29:13And we were like, we were so close.
29:15Because we talk every day about anything, even if it's college or anything, you know.
29:23And when I heard that, I was like extremely like, I can't explain it, right?
29:31And what I did is like...
29:36Arpit, I understand it's a difficult time and I really, I appreciate you speaking your mind out to me right
29:42now.
29:43I want to understand this.
29:46A lot of people, a lot of societies all over Delhi are like this, are like Satya Niketan.
29:52There are colonies which exist where buildings are almost on the verge of collapse.
29:57In this particular building that we are looking at, were there any telltale signs,
30:02were there any warning signs given beforehand that the students were able to flag?
30:06Did your friend Arpit ever speak about that?
30:10Actually, definitely there was a warning sign.
30:13When I came first, when I was in first year, I came with my parents to see PG's and all.
30:19And when I saw the Hostel Days PG, we were like, we saw big 10 foot, you can say, around
30:3110 foot gap between the building.
30:35And my father told me like, you can give the rent double from this PG, but you will never ever
30:51stay in that PG.
30:53You like, anyone who have gone to, who have seen that building before renovation, will tell you like, this building
31:03is not like able to, like, you know, for, it's not for students actually.
31:11It's not for anyone.
31:13This building was like, it should, it shouldn't be in there.
31:18Got it.
31:18But what happened was, after one month.
31:20You think anybody who had better means, decided not to stay there.
31:25So only, only those who were really desperate at the time, were the ones who were living there, like your
31:31friend, like your friend Arpit.
31:33I totally get that.
31:34I totally get what you're saying.
31:35Let me also bring in Ayushman Sharma, who is also a student and has been witnessing all of it.
31:43I can tell you and just look behind me.
31:44There are these small groups of students all over inside the campus where everybody's exchanging stories.
31:50Everybody's got a story to tell.
31:52They've got, you know, you know, incidences and eyewitness accounts that they want to exchange.
31:58And that's what's really happening all over the campus.
32:00You see students and teachers also behind me standing, trying to work it out, trying to see what exactly is
32:05to happen next.
32:06It's been a long, long night here for everybody inside Sri Venkateshwara College where I am.
32:12And I'm sure this is the situation in a lot of other colleges as well.
32:15Let me bring in Ayushman now.
32:18Ayushman, take me through what exactly happened.
32:20The sense I get so far is that it was a lazy, it was a lazy, quiet Sunday where suddenly
32:28everybody's life was shaken up.
32:30Give me a sense of what exactly are the sentiments of the students over there.
32:38I hear two things.
32:39I hear a about the delay in response of authorities responding.
32:44I hear a lot of anger over ye toh hona hi tha ek din.
32:47I also hear a lot of students talk about that, you know, even now there are students who are stuck
32:54inside.
32:54Can we please ensure that they come out and they come out by some miracle, make it out alive?
33:00Are these three things on top of your mind as well?
33:04Yeah, definitely. It is in my mind.
33:07And it was a lazy Sunday.
33:09We were also hanging out with our friends in their PJs respectively around the college.
33:14But suddenly when we heard the news, we quickly get to the south campus and investigated the area.
33:21But as soon as we reached, the admin messaged us that one of our college students is also stuck there.
33:28So we tried our best that night.
33:31Around four to five hours, we stayed at the site and trying to help the rescue team.
33:35And also collecting the information about the students who are trapped in there and also the students from our college.
33:43And while collecting, we got to know that the response team, which was the NDRF and other teams were delayed
33:50by a huge amount of time.
33:53Before there, the locals were trying to help the other students who were stuck on the upper side of the
33:58debris.
33:59And the whole night, we tried to contact the other officers and the NDRF team and the Ames trauma center
34:07to find out the body of our colleague, Akshat.
34:13But the whole night, it was a horrible night. It was the longest night ever I had lived.
34:19And in the morning, I quickly got up and headed towards the street from our center with one of my
34:25seniors,
34:25where we find out that nobody in the name of Aapit was found to be unknown.
34:30All the bodies were unknown and only the parents or the family of their body would identify them.
34:37So we waited there almost like five hours or so. Then the parents came and identified the one, which was
34:45our, unfortunately our colleague, Akshat.
34:53Alright, I'm sorry for your loss, Ayushman, but thanks so much for talking to us about the entire experience.
35:01I can understand that it's not easy to lose friends, to lose people you know.
35:07And at such a young age, when you're just about starting out life and you're just about entering college with
35:12dreams in your mind,
35:15with a lot of hope and aspirations that you have ahead of you, to face something like this is not
35:19easy.
35:20And I see that, I get that sense and a couple of other students who are here as well.
35:24Mujhe bata ye aap kaha se hai, kaha rehte hai?
35:28Mujhe bata to thewasa as well.
35:28Are there a fewして pictures for us like Jammu Kashmiris Grow, were I actually seven eight years ago.
35:31In DelhiQUE.
35:34Mujhe bata ye an如此 and the population around Delhique was she has another seat.
35:36Did you give help to a Mary a77y name right?
35:40Did you come to the pay Stand-up?
35:40What do you think came to us here?
35:41Are you 오�gen-sites with a pay-run level happening, are you living here at the Get-Uradi,
35:55What are you doing here?
36:00What do you say, if someone is mentally disturbed or has a trauma feeling or a overwhelmed feeling that you
36:08are listening to your friends and the parents who are thinking about this matter?
36:14What advice do you give them to your children to go to the city?
36:18What advice do you give them to their children?
36:23We try to get a mental disorder.
36:26Don't give attention to someone else.
36:29Don't give attention to someone else.
36:32Don't give attention to someone else.
36:35And the other thing is, the children who are sending their responsibilities are available.
36:45They keep the responsibility of their responsibilities.
36:47There is a lot of anger against the p-g owners.
36:55There are a lot of anger against the p-g owners.
37:05Not against the p-g owners.
37:12I have visited so many PJs and I don't have to eat food in the basement, so it is so
37:21humid.
37:22If you go to the basement, it is so humid.
37:23I have to go daily to get an order.
37:31My family told me that we will not do this.
37:34I have to go down daily to get an order.
37:36That is better than living in PJs.
37:37You know, this is so crazy because I just met another girl who comes from Great Anoida.
37:42She comes with me only.
37:43And she said the same thing, that I'd rather travel for two hours than, you know, stay in PJs like
37:49these.
37:49I have more students here with me.
37:50I want to understand this.
37:52This is a campus.
37:55This is a Delhi University campus.
37:56There is a lot of politics.
37:58I was watching outside.
37:59There are cars in NSUI and ABVP.
38:01There are many cars in the current state.
38:03They were all here.
38:04They said, you know, they are all right.
38:06They are all right.
38:06They are all right.
38:07They are not far away in the campus.
38:09They are all right.
38:10They are all right.
38:11But in the case of this, do you think that the successors have failed?
38:16Or could you have any kind of human, a system against?
38:20I think that this is a successive failure of the government's and the administration's
38:25proper.
38:25And the candidates who have their politics, who have their own mind, are wrong.
38:33Because of these people, the system failure...
38:34Just hold on.
38:35Saurabh Das of the Kokorojanta Party is also speaking.
38:38Let's just listen in to what he's got to say.
38:43Let's just listen to what he's got.
38:56The second thing is that the illegal construction is being done.
39:01The safety norm is due to the following and the enforce of the city of MCD and local agencies.
39:09The second layer of failure is that the structural failure is being made.
39:14There is a big student population in the D.U. campus at the same time.
39:19but there is an unregulated, private, PG economy where there is no enforcement,
39:26and the regulations that are not followed.
39:31So these two layers of failure,
39:33this is just in Delhi, in the whole country,
39:38which is our infrastructure for students,
39:42that is completely collapsed.
39:46In the whole country, because we are watching,
39:48the school is fine, the campaign is going on,
39:53we are getting data and information about so many schools,
39:57and we are also going to see ourselves.
40:00Our whole team, volunteers, U.A.
40:03All right, Saurabh Das over there, making the point that many have been making at this point,
40:12you know, at the moment, a lot of questions are being asked of the entire system.
40:17It's not an isolated incident, enough data, enough, you know, instances and tragedies can be pointed out,
40:24which would say that this was a tragedy perhaps waiting to happen.
40:28Having said that, let's go back to the spot of the tragedy.
40:31My colleague Jessica is over there, and let's get a live update.
40:34Jessica, could you give us an understanding of what exactly is the situation there?
40:39As we speak, are there still students feared to be under the rubble?
40:49So right now, what we're seeing that the site has been cleared out.
40:52We just saw a couple of trucks of MCD filled with debris leave the spot.
40:56But what we're also trying to understand is that there is possibility that the basement area,
41:01where the building had collapsed, because of which the construction was also going on,
41:08that area could still be filled with debris.
41:10And there's also some debris lying around, which could be posing threat to the nearby buildings.
41:15But what we're understanding right now is that a majority of the debris in this area has been cleared out.
41:21Trucks after trucks have been leaving from the MCD area.
41:24That area is still cordoned off. A lot of students are coming here and trying to get a view of
41:29what really happened there.
41:30A lot of students had their friends and who were also part of the PG.
41:34A lot of them are now looking at other buildings which are around in this area
41:37and are trying to judge if this building will stand the test of time or not.
41:41Because even if you take a look around this area, you will find a lot of buildings are in a
41:46very shaky shape.
41:47And a lot of these areas, the buildings next to the spot have been cleared out.
41:52But there are still students who are living in Satya Niketan, especially when it comes to leaving two, three gullies.
41:58And then they're still continuing to live there.
42:00In fact, one of the students who lives just two gullies across from this spot is here as well.
42:05And he's been living here for some time.
42:07But he says that he has no choice but to live here.
42:11So you've been living here for a while.
42:13You in fact live just two gullies away from the spot where the disaster took place.
42:18And what is the sense that you're getting right now?
42:21What is it that is going on in your mind?
42:23This is perhaps, Jessica, then a good time to let people know,
42:26to let students know as well that in case that the places that you're staying,
42:31the PG's where you're staying seem unsafe or you're worried.
42:35Colleges inside the South Campus like Sri Venkateshwara and several others
42:39have converted their classrooms into makeshift places and places where people can come
42:45and, you know, seek and, you know, seek home for some time.
42:48The students and the teachers that we've been speaking with say that the doors of the colleges are now open
42:53and the classrooms there have been opened up and that have been converted into places where people can come and
42:59stay.
43:00So this is good information for everybody to know also and anybody who's feeling unsafe as well.
43:05We have last few minutes on the program and which is why I want to get a sense from both
43:09of you on something like,
43:11you know, we keep speaking about strategies like these that unfold.
43:16I want to know that in your opinion, according to your children,
43:21if you have to change the situation and have to bring a systemic change,
43:25what is the need of the situation?
43:27Madam, good administration, first of all.
43:29There are a lot of things, as I have been the student of Enketechshire College for three years
43:34and I have also been living in September before.
43:36So the condition of PG here is very bad, food is very bad.
43:39I stayed in the costliest PG here, but the first two months they'll give you the best food available,
43:47after that food quality degrades, internet quality degrades and the worst thing is
43:53that the water is very bad.
43:55I myself got my liver abscess issues.
43:58I have no student who has said that it is good.
44:02Everyone knows that it is bad and it is going through years and there are no new things.
44:07So I want to know that if you need to change something with it,
44:11then what should it change and how will it change?
44:13Because when the students have due to the elections,
44:16you will give them pizza vouchers,
44:19you will give them that you have a movie ticket free,
44:22you can vote for this candidate.
44:23You are also responsible.
44:24Madam, responsibility is the same as we are in the third year.
44:28You can say that we are responsible.
44:29So we were first-year kids.
44:30There were a lot of first-year in that building also.
44:33And first of all, everyone has been in this.
44:35From lower level to upper level.
44:37Even if there are any other people,
44:39any ABCD party or MNOP party,
44:42they have all been in this.
44:43Everyone had to show their politics here.
44:45And they just...
44:45They were very bad.
44:47They didn't show their politics here.
44:48They had to show their politics here.
44:51So I would think that everyone had to come here.
44:52Everyone came here.
44:53There were a few people who came here.
44:54If the kids had to come here,
44:56they would not stay here.
44:57I know that I have seen that
44:59they were charged with one party or the other party.
45:01But this was not the way this should have came out.
45:04In our college, our principal has done it very well.
45:07That they would do it for the kids.
45:10Well, that's the sentiment here.
45:12Nobody is surprised that an incident like this happened.
45:15Everybody is sad that an incident like this happened.
45:17Nobody is surprised or even doubting that the condition of Satiniketan is any better.
45:21I think that has been a known fact.
45:23It's been the elephant in the roof for several years, if not decades.
45:27It's only been getting worse.
45:29And today, when the situation is so bad, classrooms are now open for students to come in,
45:35get, find some rescue here, find some hope and home for the temporary duration.
45:40But ultimately, for the entire system to change, a lot more needs to be done.
45:44Let's see which way this goes and whether or not this becomes an issue.
45:47What's fighting for, even for the students, as the Delhi University elections appear.
45:51And for us to keep in mind when we vote next time.
45:55That's all we could pack in in today's edition of Five Live.
45:58Stay tuned to India Today. Lots more coming up.