Tragedy was just waiting to happen in this residential area

The area of Parwana Road in East Delhi’s Khureji khas area has hundreds of illegal bakeries and other small-scale factories dot, despite the fact that it is a residential area.

As we walk through the road, the smell of freshly baked rusks and breads waft through the air, hiding the blood and sweat that goes through in making these items.

“People from Farrukhabad, Bijnor and Kannauj come here in search of jobs and money, and agree to work under the most inhuman conditions,” said Mohhamad Saleem, a local and secretary of an NGO.

Soon after the oven-blast that left three people dead in a bakery here, concerns of the residents are coming out in the open.

“We were expecting the acciden, as the bakeries in the area run for extended periods of time, but put no emphasis on the safety of the workers. They used to run the bakery for entire days, and it would always be overcrowded with workers. We had acomplained to the authorities concerned to take action, but so far, we never got any reply,” said Rashid, a local resident.

People also alleged that despite being a residential area, hundreds of unauthorised bakeries and other small-scale factories operate here which put peoples’ lives in danger.
According to them, 18 years back, 48 people had lost their lives when a fire broke out in an unauthorised petrol seller’s godown in the same area.

“Despite that incident, people haven’t learnt anything yet. Hopefully, this accident will force the people of the area to think and take action against such unauthorised factories,” said Mohammad Saleem.

Blaming the Residential Welfare Association (RWA) of the area for being hand in glove with the property owners, people said that neither is the RWA democratically elected nor do they act upon the genuine concerns of the residents.

“Most of the property owners have leased their buildings and plots to others. They get good money from the factory operators. The RWA is constituted by these very property owners. When they are getting good money from their property, why would they take action against the injustices? It’s an unholy nexus where even the local authorities are also involved,” Saleem added.