New Delhi, September 07 (H.S.): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday ordered the suspension of five officials of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD), including the Deputy Commissioner of the South Zone, following the collapse of a paying guest (PG) building in the Satya Niketan area. Six people have so far died in the incident.

The officials suspended by the Chief Minister include South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar, Superintending Engineer Ranveer Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) Lalit Kumar Goyal, Assistant Engineer (Building) Sunil Chauhan and Junior Engineer (Building Construction) Ashish Kumar.

Gupta visited the accident site again on Monday morning to review the ongoing relief and rescue operations. Speaking to reporters, she said around 80 per cent of the debris had been cleared and only the debris in the basement remained.

According to the Chief Minister, the basement had been filled with water, while repair work was also underway in the old building. The combination of water accumulation and ongoing repair work led to the building collapse.

She said 12 people had been rescued so far, of whom six had died, while the remaining six were in stable condition.

Gupta directed authorities to immediately seal buildings in Delhi having a fifth floor and ordered intensive inspections of nearby PG accommodations and buildings. She said properties found violating safety regulations would also be sealed.

The Chief Minister made it clear that the safety of Delhi residents would not be compromised and warned that those found responsible for negligence would face strict action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar