NEW DELHI: Politicians from various parties and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal visited the site in south-east Delhi’s Zakir Nagar area on Tuesday where six persons, including three children, died in a fire.
Ordering a probe, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that lapses behind the massive fire would be looked into. He announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured.
Baijal reached Zakir Nagar to inspect the building where the fire had broken out in the wee hours of Tuesday. Kejriwal and Baijal later went to Holy Family Hospital, where the injured are admitted. “The government will also ascertain the exact cause of the fire and all efforts will be made to ensure that there is no repeat of such incidents.
Prima facie the cause of fire appears to be a short circuit, but it will be probed and strict action will be taken if any negligence or lapse is found. Responsibility will also be fixed,” said the CM.
Baijal directed South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Police to take stern action against those found guilty in the planning and development of the four-storey building in a congested area with no access for emergency services, said a press statement issued by the L-G’s office. “The L-G instructed Director, Delhi Fire Services, to upgrade the firefighting equipment with the use of technology to keep pace with the changing needs of the city. Google map locators, robotic firefighters, smaller fire tenders, high-pressure water hoses etc. should be added to the fleet to improve the capability for firefighting in densely congested areas,” said the statement.
The leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, and Delhi Congress working president Haroon Yusuf met the families of the deceased and the injured persons. Demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident, he said it was imperative that all facts pertaining to the incident come out so that the recurrence of such incidents could be prevented. “The residents complained that since there was no fire station nearby, it takes a long time for the fire brigade to reach the place of an incident. Therefore, the Delhi government must open a fire station in the area to cater to the needs of the nearby areas,” he said.
Yusuf blamed the government and the power distribution company for delay in the rescue operation.
“Residents told me that the cause of the fire was a short circuit. They said that employees of power company who were to disconnect the power connection arrived about one and a half hour late. Fire brigade also could not arrive on time. Had they come on time, more lives could have been saved,” Yusuf said.