7 lives could’ve been saved had civic officials acted on plaints

Narrow and congested lanes of Moti Nagar’s Sudarshan Park is a ticking time bomb for workers as many illegal factories in the area are running under the nose of civic authorities. The workers are left with no choice but to work in these illegal factories in perilous buildings for livelihood.

The tragic death of seven people in Sudarshan Park in Moti Nagar of West Delhi on Thursday due to gas compressor blast is a grim reminder that civic agencies don’t learn lessons from past tragedies as they wait for another to happen and then time tested game of “passing the buck” begins.

And this is not one-off incident as many areas where illegal factories are operating in residential areas are ticking bombs.

These lives could have been saved had the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) authorities acted on several complaints lodged with them, said sources, adding that eight others sustained grave injuries after a ceiling fan parts manufacturing unit running illegally in a two-storey building in Delhi’s Moti Nagar area collapsed following an explosion in the gas compressor on Thursday evening.

Residents claimed that the complaint regarding the building was made several times and even the building was declared dangerous by the SDMC but factory was still functioning. Also, residents claimed that an illegal factory in the area was sealed by authorities four days ago.

SDMC officials were quick to put the onus on the owners of the building and claimed that commercial activity was going on “illegally” in the two-storey building in Sudarshan Park.

A senior SDMC official said a closure notice was served last month by the West Zone and sealing activity was slated to be carried out next week. A team of senior officials visited the site soon after the incident and assisted the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) staff in the rescue operation.

He said when the SDMC team visited the site in Basai Darapur they saw many parts of the building hanging precariously after the collapse, which were demolished for safety of passersby.

The SDMC has been carrying out sealing action against such units as per instructions of the Supreme Court, he said, adding, many units were either found closed or vacant after a notice to that effect had been served.

                “The ward in which the collapsed building is located had about 700 units.  Out of which 670 are now closed sealed or were found vacant when our team visited during the drive. As per the remaining 30 odd units, we will seek action against them, and also examine if there was any laxity on the part of any civic department,” he said.

He said the nature of work carried out in the building was being ascertained, adding, “It was still not clear whether it was ceiling-fan making unit or paint-making unit”.

Interestingly, in a survey done by the SDMC last year not even a single building was found dangerous.

However, narrow and congested lanes of Moti Nagar’s Sudarshan Park are a ticking time bomb for workers as many illegal factories in the area are running under the nose of civic authorities. The workers are left with no other choice but to work in these factories to earn their bread

“We don’t have any other option other than to work here. At least we are able to get one square meal for our family,” said Ajit Kumar, who hails from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and is working here in a shoe factory.

Farhan, a worker in the area, told The Pioneer he had been working in a denim factory in the area for last five years. “I work and earn Rs 4,000 per month. This incident is shocking for us and I agree there is no provision for us to escape if there is some tragedy or a fire incident but for living we have work,” he said.

Venting his anger over promises by local leaders for developing facilities and better working conditions for them, Rajendra, who works in a factory situated at a narrow and congested lane of the area, said leaders talk about development but the ground reality is just the opposite.

“We have a family to run. Children to teach and a house rent to pay so why would I not work, knowing that there is risk to my life. Leaders come and shed tears, announce compensations but nothing happens on the ground. So what if seven lives were lost, people will forget it after sometime and things will be back to square one,” Rajendra said.

“This is not the only illegal unit in the area. Basai Dara Pur - cramped, dirty and jumbled - at Sudarshan Park area in Moti Nagar has several small illegal factory in two or four-stroyed houses running just stone’s throw away distance from zonal office of South Delhi Municipal Corporation  (SDMC)”, said Harish Saini, a resident of the area.