(Subodh Jain)

Bhagirath Palace Fire: An 11-member committee has been formed to investigate the five-day fire incident at Bhagirath Palace, a wholesale drug market in Delhi. Everyone knows how difficult the rescue work is in case of fire in the narrow streets and Katras of Chandni Chowk area. Despite this, the municipal corporation and the police are not serious about stopping commercial illegal construction and encroachment here. Apart from this, the water tank built here last year has also not been operational. Surprisingly, many officers included in the committee are themselves responsible for this. But now they themselves will investigate the matter.

Bhagirath Palace Fire: Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has constituted a high-level committee to review the causes and circumstances of the fierce fire that broke out in Bhagirath Palace in Chandni Chowk in the month of November. The committee will examine how to make the narrow streets and Katras of Chandni Chowk area safe in case of fire. Along with this, suggestions will also be presented to overcome the difficulties faced in carrying out rescue operations in such situations. Significantly, the work of many officers involved in the committee itself is under question.

Why is Chandni Chowk important?

Chandni Chowk, the pride of Old Delhi, is one of the historical markets of the country. The Katras present here are famous for the business of special products and goods. Lajpat Rai Market established here is famous for electrical goods, watches and toys, then Bhagirath Palace for medicine and electric business, Dariba Kalan is the market of Mughal jewelers and Kinari Bazar is the place for Gota and Zari business, Nai Sadak and Chawri Bazar are centers of paper business, Naya Bazar and Khari Baoli are North India’s largest wholesale markets for dry fruits, grocery and spices.

Why was the committee formed

In fact, on November 24, there was a fire incident in Bhagirath Palace. Which took five days to overcome. After this incident, the officials of Delhi Fire Service told that the fire was brought under control by bringing about five-six lakh liters of water from different centers to extinguish the fire here. But due to encroachment and narrow roads, there was a lot of difficulty in the rescue work. To review these reasons, an 11-member high committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Garima Gupta, Managing Director of Shahjahanabad Re-Development Corporation. The Joint Commissioner of Police, Kshatriya District Magistrate, Deputy Commissioner of Corporation, PWD, Fire and NDRF officers are also included in this.

What will the committee do

The committee will prepare its report within 30 days and submit it to the government. Along with finding out the reasons for the fire that broke out on November 24.  The committee will also decide how such incidents can be prevented from happening again in special development area, Katras, Chandni Chowk and other places. For this, the committee will also take suggestions from local business people and residential organizations. During this, if the committee feels that any officer or ेsome individual  has been responsible for this accident, then it can also recommend criminal case or disciplinary action against such people.

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Questions on committee members

In fact, when the work of developing Chandni Chowk was done, a water tank of about seven lakh liters capacity was built in the historic Town Hall premises. Along with this, fire hydrants were also installed along the narrow streets and Kataras. So that in case of emergency, the fire can be controlled through the pipe. But due to the poor working style of the bureaucracy, it is still not working. Despite repeated requests from business organizations, this work has not been completed.

The accused will investigate negligence!

Sanjay Bhargava, president of Chandni Chowk Sarva Vyapar Mandal, says that the committee formed regarding the fire incident includes many officers who themselves are under suspicion. The municipal corporation and the police are responsible for the continuous illegal constructions and encroachments here on a commercial level. While the Re-Development Corporation and PWD officials are responsible for not commissioning the water tank, there is also a possibility that this may also just a formality in the name of investigation.