Tarun Parmanik regrets that he did not even make an attempt to save his wife and two daughters trapped inside the burning house in Sunlight Colony where a cylinder exploded on Monday. He did not know they were there.
On his way back from a nearby market, Tarun got to know that his second-floor house was engulfed by fire and his wife Mamata (38) and children Pretika (8) and Priyanka (1) were trapped. However, by the time he reached he could not see any fire tenders.
All he could see were cops and neighbours. “The neighbours told me that all three had been taken to Jeevan Hospital. I rushed there immediately but found that they had not been taken there. I returned and then someone told me that they had been safely rescued and taken to an acquaintance’s residence, which wasn’t the case either but I had no choice but to go and confirm myself,” Tarun told The Hindu .
By the time he was back home the third time round, fire fighters had reached and it dawned upon him that his world had come crashing down. He is willing to give the benefit of doubt to those who “confused” him, but his remark on the “hour-long-delay” by fire fighters is harsher.
Delhi Fire Services Director Dr. G.C. Misra acknowledged the delay but said that it was because of factors beyond control.
“The fire tenders at Mathura Road had been dispatched to attend another call at Batla House. As they headed there, the call from Sunlight Colony was made. We had to pool in resources from three other fire stations in Nehru Place, Safdarjung and Mayur Place and that took long. Even the Mathura Road ones were sent directly to Sunlight Colony,” said Dr. Misra.
But was Tarun willing to brave the flames and reach out to his family? “Yes, the risk would have been worth it. I would have at least taken solace from the fact that I tried,” he said.
