NEW DELHI: A day after nine members of his family perished in a major fire that broke out at his building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday, Rajender Kashyap says the incident was not merely an accident but the result of a systemic failure.
Kashyap, who was away in Goa when the incident took place, is still struggling to come to terms with the loss. Speaking to the press, he alleged, “Sirf system ka failure hai, nahi to mera parivar aaj basa reh jata” (It’s the result of a systemic failure. Otherwise, my family would still be alive).
This comes after locals alleged lapses in the rescue operations on Wednesday. Several of them claimed that critical equipment had failed to function at the crucial moment, forcing a delayed replacement. They believe that had the equipment worked in time, some lives might have been saved. They also raised concerns over the absence of safety measures at the site, claiming that no nets or cushioning were deployed below. As a result, those who attempted to escape by jumping fell directly onto the ground.
The fire department was alerted about the blaze around 7 am on Wednesday, following which 31 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames and rescue people.
Meanwhile, smell of smoke still lingers at the site, underscoring the scale of the devastation.