The blaze that broke out at Flourish Stay B&B in Malviya Nagar, South Delhi, claiming 21 lives and leaving 26 injured, on Wednesday, is among the deadliest fire tragedies in the national capital in the past four years.
The incident has once again highlighted that the administration has learnt no lessons from the Uphaar Cinema tragedy that claimed the lives of 59 people on June 13, 1997 and Hotel Arpit tragedy where 17 people died in their sleep in 2019.
Despite repeated directions from courts to the authorities, including the MCD and the Delhi Police, to ensure several exit gates in such facilities, tragedies like these continue to expose glaring gaps. It seems that public safety is often left to chance as the authorities concerned seem to have turned blind eye to the enforcement of rules and regulations for commercial establishments.
This is once again evident from the Malviya Nagar tragedy which left several Indian and even foreign families shattered. The five-storey building located in Hauz Rani village in front of Max Hospital, Saket, had only a single entry and exit gate, which went unnoticed by the civic agencies. It raises a serious question how a hotel flouting several rules was allowed to operate under the nose of the authorities.
Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said the five-storey establishment – operating under a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) licence that permitted only six rooms – was allegedly running about 25 rooms across the basement, ground floor and upper storeys. Furthermore, the building lacked a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), they said.
According to residents, the sensor-operated entrance gate stopped working after the fire broke out. The windows were permanently sealed preventing occupants from escaping or getting fresh air.
They said local residents and Fire Department personnel had to use stones, hammers to break the main gate and the windows to rescue trapped occupants. Several people were seen jumping from upper floors after the windows were shattered, residents said.
As per an eyewitness, the fire broke out after a blast occurred in an electrical plug after a kitchen appliance was switched off. Despite attempts to control the flames with fire extinguishers, the blaze spread rapidly, he said.
“Within five minutes, the ground floor was filled with thick smoke. In another six to seven minutes, the fire had spread to the upper floors. Several people broke window panes on the second floor and jumped to save themselves,” the eyewitness said.
Fire Officer Ravinder Singh said the building was filled with smoke when rescue teams arrived. “There was fire everywhere. We rescued those trapped inside and shifted them to hospitals. Some of the rescued persons were in a serious condition,” he said, adding that many occupants were attendants of patients admitted to a nearby private hospital and foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have registered an FIR under charges of culpable homicide and initiated an enquiry. A team also reached the house of hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj. As per officials, the police are also planning to issue a Look out circular (LOC) against Bajaj and other accused in a case to prevent them from leaving the country.
Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi has directed the Municipal commissioner to conduct an investigation and submit a report within three days.
CM pledges action against illegal structures
After a daylong review following the Malviya Nagar tragedy, CM Rekha Gupta said lapses that culminated in the tragic fire will be examined with utmost seriousness, and accountability will be fixed wherever it lies. “A magisterial inquiry has been ordered and an FIR has been registered against the owner of the property. A citywide crackdown will be launched against illegal properties, unauthorised guest houses and establishments operating in violation of fire safety norms and building bylaws. Such premises will be sealed,” she said, adding that those responsible for this tragedy will be held accountable.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
Leave a Reply