Yesterday, 6 September, was a Sunday, and since college was off, a few of us were just at our PG in Delhi's Satya Niketan, doing nothing in particular. Suddenly, we heard an incredibly loud noise. At first, none of us understood what had happened.
When we went outside to check, we found out that a building had collapsed just five or six buildings away from ours.
Right after that, the electricity went out. All of us were standing out on the road, and honestly, we were scared.
This morning, I got the news that one of my juniors had died in the collapse.
His family reached Delhi early this morning. Last night, they had been told that he was okay. I was told the same, and for a while, we were relieved. I kept calling hospitals through the night, trying to find out where he was and how he was doing.
I couldn't sleep at all. Eventually, I went to Safdarjung Hospital myself to look for him. I was standing right outside the hospital when his family called and told me that he was no more.
His father had been there the entire night with no information. His mother arrived this morning, and that's when they learned he had died at the AIIMS trauma centre.
'Satya Niketan Feels So Unsafe Today'
To be honest, living in Satya Niketan feels scary right now. Since my PG is just five buildings away from the one that collapsed, every crane, ambulance, and rescue vehicle has been moving through my lane, right past where I live.
What worries us most is how narrow these lanes are. If a JCB or crane makes even a small mistake while manoeuvring here, things could go wrong very quickly.
The road where the collapsed building stands is at least wide enough for the machines to get through. But go a little further inside, and it's a completely different story.
The galis (lanes) become so narrow that rescue vehicles wouldn't even be able to enter. If something were to happen there, I don't know how anyone would survive.
God forbid something like this happens again, but the risk doesn't feel far-fetched here. Many buildings in this area are taller than they are allowed to be.
Landlords add extra floors beyond the permissible limit, simply to accommodate more tenants and make more money. Most of us don't think much about it until something like this happens. And once it does, it's difficult to stop thinking about it.
Earlier, we used to walk around these streets without giving it a second thought. Now, the whole mood here has changed. There's a sense of heaviness and sadness, and honestly, nobody feels like stepping out just to roam around anymore.
Every time you look at an old building, you can't help but wonder: what if that one collapses next?
'Life in the PG'
I live in a room shared by five girls, including me. We each pay around Rs 9,500 a month for a bed, without food, so we cook for ourselves.
I am a second-year History and Geography student at Jesus and Mary College, which is right across from Satya Niketan. I am originally from a small town in Madhya Pradesh. Since my college does not have a hostel, I was really left with two options: rent a flat or live in a PG.
I chose a PG because there are other students living in the same building, and that felt safer than staying alone in a flat, especially as a woman living away from home.
I have been living here for about a year now, ever since I moved from Madhya Pradesh. Almost nobody staying in these PGs is actually from Delhi. Most of us are outstation students studying in nearby colleges.
We end up living in PGs because our colleges either do not have hostels at all, or have so few seats that only a small number of students are able to get accommodation.
That is another thing about this tragedy. Most of us are not from here. We came to this city to study, and we thought that even though this neighbourhood was crowded and congested, it was at least safe. With this tragedy, everything has changed.
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)