00:00We just gave you a glimpse coming up on this edition of NewsTrack is a special investigation.
00:05Days after the Delhi building collapse in which seven young lives were snuffed out.
00:11We're going to give you a sense of really what the state of these paying accommodations are,
00:17what these PG's look like and why these are debt traps.
00:21These are buildings where these kind of tragedies are waiting to happen.
00:24So that detailed special investigative report coming your way in this edition of NewsTrack.
00:31We're also, of course, getting you the latest updates on the FI that's been filed and the action that's been
00:36taken by the Delhi government
00:38in this particular case, in this building collapse.
00:41Even now, questions being raised on exactly who is to blame.
00:46Before I bring you the truth of the PG's that lie beyond the collapse site,
00:51let me first take you through what the FI has revealed.
00:54The collapse of that PG hostel in Delhi's Satyana Ketan is a grim tale of alleged greed.
01:01I'm not saying this. The FIR says so.
01:04According to the FIR, the owners, Hariram Gupta and his family, who, by the way, have been taken into custody,
01:09they allegedly added multiple floors to the nearly 50-year-old structure,
01:14essentially to earn more through rental income.
01:16No, they did not have the permits for it.
01:18This was a building that was already crumbling because of the old foundation, which the FIR mentions.
01:23It says the foundation was too weak to bear the additional load.
01:27Yet the building had grown from its original structure to a basement and multiple floors.
01:33And then the final blow on Sunday.
01:35Renovation work was underway in the basement.
01:38Workers were digging below while a load-bearing pillar was dismantled.
01:43There was heavy rain in Delhi, the worst time to be conducting this kind of construction work.
01:49And so the structure gave way.
01:51Several people were trapped beneath the debris.
01:54Seven eventually lost their lives.
01:55The investigation has invoked charges including culpable homicide, rash acts endangering life
02:01and negligence in construction against the building owner and his family.
02:05Hariram Gupta, his wife, Urmila Gupta, they've been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
02:11Remember that they were taken into custody from Rajasthan.
02:14Their son, who allegedly ran this PG with his father, has been remanded to two days of police custody.
02:20And as the investigation continues, the Delhi government is looking beyond this one building.
02:26Unfortunately, it takes a tragedy like this to really wake up the authorities.
02:30And here too, that's what's happened.
02:32Delhi's PG rules are now finally set for review.
02:36After the loss of life, the civic body has sprung into action.
02:39It's demolished 24 PGs, has sealed seven of them.
02:43And I can bet you that this is the story across Delhi, not just one pocket like Satya Niketan.
02:49The unfortunate reality is that after tragedy, you'll see authorities wake up, go on the spree and then forget about
02:54it one week down the line.
02:56But the building collapse in Delhi's Satya Niketan has claimed seven lives and has exposed once again the crumbling infrastructure
03:02in the national capital.
03:04But how did this happen?
03:06I explained to you what, in fact, the FIR said.
03:10But we want to take you back to what the structure looked like.
03:13How were residents living there?
03:16What did that entire stretch look like?
03:18Essentially, this will answer once again why we say that this was a tragedy waiting to happen.
03:33This is the Satya Niketan area of Delhi.
03:37The PG is right here.
03:39Along this narrow, busy stretch, buildings all packed closely on either sides.
03:45And as you can see, there are homes, there are shops, there are small establishments all opening onto the street.
03:51Vehicles are there.
03:52People are moving through this particular lane and the PG behind me, the building that collapsed, is one of several
03:58buildings standing almost wall to wall in the supremely crowded neighborhood.
04:03There's very little space between any of the buildings.
04:07So this is what the stretch looked like.
04:13Now let's transport you inside the building, inside this PG.
04:18Again, cramped.
04:19Rooms lined up on both sides of this narrow corridor.
04:23It's one after another.
04:24And within these rooms, very small rooms, a large number of young residents staying, all accommodated within this limited space.
04:33Even the common areas beyond this corridor, the passageways that I'm in, all tightly packed, giving you a sense of
04:40just how crowded this building, this PG is.
04:44But here's what was happening.
04:46Down in the basement, while all of those students are living above, construction work is underway.
04:53Workers are moving around their exposed pillars clearly in the basement.
04:58And that's supporting the entire structure above.
05:02Look at how much of the building actually stands on these few concrete supports.
05:07There are multiple floors, as I showed you before.
05:10Rooms, all of the weight of all of those floors, those rooms, it comes onto these pillars.
05:15The pillars are relatively narrow.
05:18And amid that, these workers continuing to work.
05:20The spaces between them are very tight.
05:23They're not spaced out.
05:24And yet, they're carrying the load of all of the floors above.
05:28The construction, incomplete.
05:30So, work is going on.
05:32The entire support structure is clearly visible here.
05:36And that gives you a closer look at exactly what's holding the building up.
05:40The warning signs are there.
05:42Nobody cared.
05:43Nobody did anything about it.
05:45It was ignored.
05:48A weak basement, a weak base, pouring rain.
05:52In a matter of seconds, it's all gone.
05:54It just takes seconds for the entire building to come crashing down.
05:57The structure suddenly gives way.
05:59The upper floors began collapsing into each other.
06:03And then, the whole building just falls in on itself.
06:08The concrete slabs crash down.
06:11There's nothing left of the walls.
06:12And a huge cloud of dust shoots into the air.
06:17Completely engulfing the entire structure.
06:20What I showed you before was this now.
06:22Floor after floor disappears in front of us.
06:25And the building is reduced to nothing.
06:28There's just a heap of concrete and debris left behind.
06:31I've brought you this rooftop view.
06:34Because that gives you a sense of the sheer speed.
06:37The sheer scale of the collapse.
06:40That multi-storied building.
06:42With so many rooms.
06:43With so many youngsters disappearing.
06:45Even before you can blink.
