The Delhi Congress has levied serious allegations against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in connection with the recent fire incident in the Alipur area of Delhi, resulting in the tragic loss of 11 lives. In a press statement, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Lovely asserted, “It was due to the extensive corruption in the fire licencing departments of the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi”. Lovely highlighted that this marked the third major fire accident in the capital in the past month, following the Pitampura multi-story building fire on January 19, claiming six lives, and the Mangolpuri warehousing fire on February 8. He noted that, as per data released by the Delhi Fire Service, 59 people had lost their lives in fire accidents last year. Despite this alarming figure, both the Delhi Government and the MCD are alleged to have neglected to take preventive action to address such incidents.
The Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal visited the area and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to the injured. According to the police, eight of the eleven people killed in the fire accident in Alipur, outside of Delhi, have been identified by their families. The police have stated that, if necessary, they may perform a DNA test on the unidentified bodies. In addition, police have started looking into whether the paint factory was operating illegally and what caused the fire. According to a police official, Ashok Kumar Jain, the factory owner, and ten of his employees were among the dead. The official stated that Om Suns Paint, the factory, had been operational since 2017. The policeman stated, “It has come to light that the owner used to lock the factory from inside when work was underway.” Jain (62), Ram Surat Singh (44), Vishal Gaund (19), Anil Thakur (46), Pankaj Kumar (29), Shubham (19), Mira (44), and Brijkishore (19) are among the victims who have been identified.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said in a statement that the building where the fire started was used illegally to mix chemical paint. If the fire department had received timely information after the fire in the paint factory, the lives of some people could have been saved. Local people said that the fire broke out in the factory not at 5:25 in the evening but at 4 o’clock, but the employees and people of the factory tried to extinguish the fire at their level and did not inform the fire department for about one and a half hours. Due to this, the fire took on a frightening form. Fire Department Director Atul Garg said in a media statement that after receiving information about the fire at 5:25 p.m., four vehicles were sent from nearby fire stations. There was pressure on vehicles on the roads due to the rush hour in the evening. Also, due to the dense population, fire engines were delayed in reaching the spot. The chemical drums jumped up to twenty feet and fell on the nearby houses, causing fire to the nearby houses and shops.