Dr. Ramesh Thakur, senior journalist
When will the fire incident recur in Delhi? No one answers this question? This is the reason why the fire incidents are putting the stamp of Burning Capital on the forehead of the country’s capital. The Malviya Nagar fire incident is the result of the government and administration not learning lessons from the horrific fire incidents that have occurred in the last few years. Not every year, but every month, fire incidents are recurring somewhere in Delhi. Big fires like Liberty Cinema are just an example, even more painful incidents are continuing.
Many foreign tourists have also been injured in the Malviya Nagar incident, which is a globally embarrassing incident for India. Last month, nine people from three families were burnt to death due to an AC blast in a house in Vivek Vihar, East Delhi. Before that, nine people of the same family were burnt alive in a massive fire in Palam Vihar. The people of Delhi have not forgotten the incidents of Mundka, Paharganj, Jamia Nagar, Mandawali, Sadar Bazaar, Chandni Chowk.
The question arises, will the incidents of fire ever stop or will innocent people continue to be set on fire? It can be said that in the Malviya Nagar fire incident, 25 people did not burn to death, but the crumbling system has committed mass murders. The Malviya Nagar fire incident is so tragic that it completely shook the minds of whoever saw or heard the pictures through TV, newspapers or social media.
At the time of the incident, the victims’ pleas for help and their painful screams were making the eyewitnesses cry. He wanted to step forward to help, but was uncomfortable. The flames had engulfed the entire hotel. The unarmed helpers could not do anything even if they wanted to.
After about an hour and a half, the fire brigade, local police and other rescue teams reached the spot and took immediate action, but perhaps it was too late. The fire had engulfed all the rooms of the hotel. The fire broke out so fast that even rescue workers got trapped. About eight-ten rescue workers also got burnt in the fire, whose treatment is going on in various hospitals.
There are some valid reasons for the frequent fires in Delhi, which the government knows very well. First of all, unplanned illegal construction in metros, which invites accidents round the clock, whereas in the hotel where the fire broke out, the permission to construct rooms was only six rooms, but 25 rooms were built. Seven storeys were built after four storeys were granted. There was not a single rescue measure in the entire hotel. There was extra load of electricity. The entire hotel building was based on bribery. All the departments were keeping the rules in mind. The local white-collared people and the local administration were also not unaware.
According to the data of Delhi Fire Service, about 1,396 incidents of small and big were reported in Delhi in January this year. At the same time, this figure increased to 1,096 in February, 1,538 in March and 2,663 in April. Even today, one gets scared remembering the incident of ‘Child Care Hospital’ in Vivek Vihar, where several dozen newborn children under treatment got burnt to death due to a sudden fire. That incident shocked the entire country. A similar incident took place two years ago on January 26 in Mansarovar Park, in which four people were burnt to death.
Overall, has the government and administration not learned any lesson from all these painful incidents? If one incident of fire occurs in Delhi, the chances of another incident increase. The game of accident investigation is also very unique. As long as the noise remains in the discussions of media and common people, the baton is used a lot in the name of investigation. After some time everything becomes calm. The Malviya Nagar incident will also be investigated for a few days, the hotel will be sealed, a few arrests will also be made. There will be demolition citing illegal construction, bulldozers will also make noise in the area for a few days. In the end, the administration will again sit waiting for some major accident. There are many people involved in this accident who were the only earners in their homes. Their world was looted. Someone lost their husband, someone lost their father? Will anyone be able to compensate for this deficiency? Probably not!
302 people died due to fire incidents in Delhi in the last five years from June 2022-2026. In the last two years, incidents of fire have increased the most in Delhi as compared to other states. It is a matter of regret that there was no progress in the arrangements to prevent and rescue incidents. There are more incidents of fire in the months of May-June, because during these days, short circuit from electrical wires is common due to increase in additional energy load. Despite knowing all this, hotels and commercial establishments do not make any arrangements at their place. The fire brigade is also dependent on Ram, their preparations are old and useless, whereas they need to be modernized.
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