NEW DELHI: The initial report of the fire department states that “highly inflammable” materials were stored in the basement of a building in Palam where a recent fire incident occurred, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said on Monday. He accused the AAP of indulging in a “blame game” and “vulture politics” over the incident, while also holding the previous government responsible for failing to modernise fire services.
“The initial fire report in the Palam incident states that only a single staircase, from ground to terrace floor, was present, which was not accessible from outside the building,” Sood said in the Delhi Assembly. He added that materials such as garments, cosmetics, thinner, perfumes, and nail polish—classified as highly inflammable—were stored in the basement.
“Despite all this, our government did not engage in ‘blame politics’. I express grief and stand with the family in this difficult time, along with the entire government. Within two hours, a magisterial inquiry was announced by the CM, and an ex gratia amount was declared,” Sood said.
The minister also cited several past fire incidents to criticise the previous government’s response, including the Bawana Industrial Area fire in January 2018, the Arpit Hotel fire in February 2019, and the Anaj Mandi fire in 2019. He alleged that the earlier dispensation adopted a “passing the buck” approach in each case.
“During such a serious discussion, the opposition is outside, which shows their attitude. Several recommendations to modernise the fire department in 2019 were not fulfilled; however, no steps were taken till February 2025,” he said.
Sood further said that since the BJP government came to power, several initiatives have been planned, including revamping wireless systems, deploying 50 quick response vehicles, and setting up a new Command and Control Centre to improve fire response and monitoring.
“They knew that their irresponsible conduct over the past 11 years would be exposed here, and therefore chose to stay away instead of accepting responsibility,” he added.
Referring to earlier incidents, Sood said that in the 2018 Bawana fire that killed 17 people, the then government blamed the MCD’s licensing failures. Similarly, after the 2019 Arpit Hotel fire in Karol Bagh that also claimed 17 lives, corruption in the NOC process was cited to shift responsibility. “In 2019, a fire in Anaj Mandi claimed 43 lives. It was said that the Special Area Redevelopment Plan was not made. In May 2022, a fire in Mundka killed 27 people. AAP leaders then claimed the building belonged to a BJP leader, shifting responsibility,” he said.