A massive fire broke out on Monday at the dumping yard of east Delhi's Ghazipur area leading to a huge cloud of smoke enveloping the region and neighbouring areas. Officials said that no casualty has been reported and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said that a call was received regarding the fire in Khaata at Ghazipur around 2.30 PM following which nine fire tenders were rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control and efforts were on to douse the flames, adding that it may take a few more hours.
A thick blanket of smoke was seen at a section of the dumping yard, where the fire broke out. Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the incident within 24 hours.
In April last year, the DPCC had imposed a fine of Rs 40 lakh on the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) after a blaze at the Ghazipur landfill site. Fires at the landfill are known to worsen pollution levels in the area.
Such incidents had been reported from the Ghazipur landfill in the past, too, which indicates “lack of measures taken and vigilance observed by the EDMC to prevent such episodes,” an official said.
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar talked about the latest fire incident at Ghazipur in the ongoing Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly and demanded action against the guilty officials.
He also blamed East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir for incident, saying residents of his Kondli Assembly constituency were forced to inhale poisonous smoke caused by the fire.