4 floors higher, Rs 4 lakh a month: The greed behind Delhi PG ‘Hostel Daze’
A building collapse in Delhi that killed seven people has exposed the dangerous practices of the 'PG mafia' and property owners prioritizing profit over safety. Investigations reveal that unauthorized construction and structural modifications were made to maximize rental income from student housing.
Why it matters
The tragedy highlights systemic issues in urban planning, building safety enforcement, and the exploitation of students in high-demand housing markets.
NEW DELHI: For students and young professionals who leave their hometowns for Delhi in pursuit of their dreams, a paying guest accommodation can gradually become much more than four walls and a bed.It becomes a second home — where they return after college or work, eat their meals, prepare for exams, attend late-night meetings and call their families before going to sleep.But the collapse of a five-storey building housing a boys' PG in south Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6, which claimed seven lives, has shaken that sense of security.For many living in PGs across Delhi-NCR, a question that was once easy to ignore has now become difficult to escape: How safe is the building they call home?'Profit over safety'The FIR registered in the case states that building owner Hariram Gupta and his brother constructed four additional floors on top of the old structure to earn more rental income, despite…
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