Charred remains recovered on Sat, Kejriwal orders magisterial probe
Nineteen people are still said to be missing, a day after a massive blaze snuffed out 27 lives at a commercial building in West Delhi’s Mundka area. Of the 27 bodies, the authorities have managed to identify only eight people. A top fire official said that the death toll may rise as charred remains were recovered from the second floor of the building on Saturday morning. It is suspected the death count may climb beyond 27.
The administration is also clueless about the whereabouts of those missing since the incident. According to police, of the 21 women and six men missing, eight of them have been identified.
During the search by the fire department on Saturday morning, some charred remains were also found.
“We have found charred remains and it is difficult to ascertain whether they are of one person or more. Initial investigation suggests an explosion in an air-conditioner may have triggered the fire,” said Atul Garg, the Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service.
The fire was so intense that out of 27 people killed in inferno only eight have been identified by police. The deceased have been identified as Tania Bhushan, Mohini Pal, Yashoda Devi, Ranju Devi, Vishal, Drishti, Kailash Jyani and Amit Jyani. The identity of the rest 19 bodies is yet to be discovered.
The father and son duo — Kailash Jyani and Amit Jyani — had come here at the company for a motivational lecture on the second floor.
Police said that they have initiated the DNA process for those dead bodies which cannot be presently identified.
According to a list released by the district magistrate of West Delhi, the injured have been identified as Satish (38), Pradeep (36), Ashu (22), Harjeet (23), Nitin (24), Avinash (29), Sandhya (22), Dhanvanti (21), Bimla (43), Ayesha (24) and Mamta (52).
Following the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered a magisterial enquiry into the matter.
“It is a very unfortunate incident and a magisterial enquiry has been ordered. We will not spare anyone, whoever is responsible for the incident. Two brothers have been arrested so far, said Kejriwal.
The Chief Minister also announced to provide an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased while the injured will be given Rs 50,000 per person by the Delhi Government.
The Chief Minister along with his deputy, Manish Sisodia, visited the site of the blaze to take stock of the situation.
The fire chief said that the building did not have a fire safety certificate or fire-fighting equipment and there was only a single entry and exit point, which is the reason behind so many casualties.
“The building also did not have a proper blueprint. Most of the bodies were found on the second floor,” said Garg.
Since Saturday morning, there was an atmosphere of grief at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri after hundreds of relatives waiting outside the hospital were yet to get any details of their kin. The injured and dead bodies were taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial hospital after the incident on Friday evening.
North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and other agencies officials were quick to put the onus on the owners of the building and claimed that commercial activity was going on “illegally” in the building.
Meanwhile, the NDMC Commissioner on Saturday wrote a letter to the Additional Commissioner of Narela Zone, asking him to file a detailed report on the following incident in the next 48 hours.
“The Additional Commissioner, Narela Zone, is hereby directed to submit a detailed report of the above incident within 48 hours indicating on the following aspects, type of the area-- either residential, lal dora, agriculture, where the said building is located, tentative year of the construction of the building, tentative height of the building, and whether building plan was sanctioned or not,” the letter stated.
Police have arrested both brothers, Harish and Varun Goel, the owners of a CCTV camera and router manufacturing and assembling company while a manhunt has been initiated to nab Manish Lakra, the owner of the building who is at large.
All the floors of the building were being used by the same company, said Sameer Sharma, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Outer district. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the owners of the company under sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Several videos were doing rounds on the social media showing thick plumes of smoke billowing from top of the building as people trapped inside could be heard crying for help while some jumped down in a desperate attempt to escape the flames. Some could be seen using ropes to escape.
The illegal commercial building, expected to be around 10 to 12 years old with one entry and exit gate, has once again raised a question of these manufacturing units being operated without authority’s approval. It is not that the problems were not known. They were visible to the naked eye and amply corroborated by local residents and witnesses.
The building flouted safety and fire norms. It did not have emergency exits. Yet it continued to operate.
Under the Industrial Employment Act 1946, Labour Department is to take suo moto cognizance when there are more than 50 workers. In this case there is no knowledge of any checking by the department. It is clear that precious lives would have been saved if the department had been diligent and performed their duties.