Slum goes up in flames after Diwali

A slum was razed to the ground in east Delhi’s Shastri Park on Friday morning. While hundreds of residents were rendered homeless, no one was seriously injured.

The exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained. But some of the affected persons claimed they saw the burning remains of a cracker-rocket fall amidst a heap of hay, leading to the fire.

The fire department put the number of huts gutted down between 35 and 40. Victims claimed about 50 huts were burnt in the fire which started at about 9.30 am on Friday. Only a couple of huts, which were raised a little away from the cluster, remained unaffected.

The fire department said they received a call for help at 10.19 am and rushed 15 fire tenders to the spot which brought the situation under control in a little over an hour. However, even at 3 pm, locals pointed out several spots to Deccan Herald from where smoke was emanating. The fire tenders had already left by then.

The victims alleged that the government, political leaders or locals had not come forward with any sort of help even hours after the incident. “Not even a Delhi Jal Board tanker has been deployed here for us,” said Manju, a victim.

“I have been wearing the same wet towel and a T-shirt since morning. I have nothing else to change into. I have bought winter clothes early as they were available for cheap, but they have all been burnt,” said Noor Islam who lost all his earnings from the recent Diwali festival.

No relief in the form of food or water was visible. “I have built some goodwill at a nearby dhaba. I will have my lunch on credit and then decide where to stay in the night,” said another victim Mustaq Bhai. Most other victims were exploring other options for food even as they dug to reconstruct their huts.

A pre-constructed rain basera (shelter for homeless) nearby will not be of much help as it can accommodate about 50 persons. Also, homeless men staying in it from before are unwilling to create much space.

While all the victims wanted their names to appear in newspapers in the hope that it would get them compensation, they highlighted the plight of one Sheikh Lal whose recently-opened kabadi shop was gutted.

“I had borrowed Rs 75,000 on high rate of interest and added a similar amount from my pocket to start this business. I don’t even have any footwear left,” said Lal in a barely audible voice that was affected by constant crying since the blaze.

Fire at market

Four shops were gutted when a fire broke out in a furniture market in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, reports PTI. Though there was no casualty, property worth lakhs of rupees was damaged in the fire which broke out on Thursday night. Fire officials said some people were bursting crackers on their terrace when a cracker fell on one of the shops.