Bawana fire: Leaders make beeline, Delhi CM Kejriwal announces ex-gratia

AAP chief Kejriwal, who visited the site late tonight, said the truth will come out only after the inquiry, which has been ordered by the government.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visits cracker factory which caught fire in north Delhi's Bawana Industrial Area on Saturday. | PTI
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visits cracker factory which caught fire in north Delhi's Bawana Industrial Area on Saturday. | PTI

NEW DELHI: The tragic fire accident in Delhi's Bawana area tonight also assumed political hues, as several leaders from the BJP, visited the site, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased.

AAP chief Kejriwal, who visited the site late tonight, said the truth will come out only after the inquiry, which has been ordered by the government.

A compensation of Rs five lakh each will be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives and Rs one lakh each to the two injured persons, he told reporters.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain also visited the site and met the two survivors at the hospital.

"Prima facie it appears packaging of the firecrackers were going on, but no machines have been found," he said.

Prior to Kejriwal, Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and party's Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari headed to Bawana following the fire incident in a firecracker factory that claimed 17 lives.

"Visited the site of #BawanaFire and #MahirshiValmikiHospital at Pooth Khurd, where two of the injured are being treated 24-year-old Roop Prakash and 45- year-old Sunita. Both have fractures on their legs and would require surgical interventions. Appear to be out of danger," Vardhan tweeted.

"Saddened at the loss of 17 lives in the Bawana cracker factory fire. My thoughts are with the families of the persons killed in the mishap. The government should enforce strict safety regulations to such hazardous industries to avoid at least future accidents," Vardhan said.

North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal also visited the site and took a swipe at Kejriwal as the area falls under DSIIDC.

"He calls himself messiah of the poor. Where is he now. Where is the AAP MLA of Bawana," she had said earlier, before Kejriwal reached the site.

Entire local BJP Unit led by district president Neel Daman Khatri and North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal were working to ensure relief for victims, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor had earlier said.

The Delhi BJP spokesperson also questioned the "delay" by the ruling AAP's leaders in visiting the affected site and the people.

"Almost 5 hours have gone by after the accident and from local AAP MLA to the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, none have yet reached out to victims for help," Kapoor said earlier.

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