200 Shops Burnt Down: Huge Fire In Delhi’s Bhagirath Palace, Fire Accident: A huge fire broke out in the shops of Bhagirath Palace Market in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area. Officials said that around 200 shops were damaged in the huge fire while the firemen were working to put out the fire in Bhagirath Palace for the third day in a row on Saturday. They said 14 fire engines reached the spot and are trying to bring the fire under control.
A case under IPC 285 (reckless conduct in connection with fire or combustible matter) and IPC 336 (act causing injury to life or person) has been added as the fire in most of the nearly 200 shops of the wholesale market was related to electronic appliances, a senior police officer said. Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena visited Bhagirath Palace Market on Saturday. With dangling power lines, overloaded circuits, old buildings, water scarcity, and narrow lanes, such areas are prone to fire,” the Lt. Governor tweeted. He said a multi-disciplinary committee has been formed to look into ways to effectively address these issues with the active involvement of residents, and other stakeholders in Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Pahar Ganj, and other areas. Saxena said that they have asked to give a report within 30 days.
A fire broke out at Bhagirath Palace on Thursday night at 9.19 pm. The fire was brought under control till Friday morning. But a police officer disclosed that the fire broke out again till evening. The traders said that there was a loss of more than 400 crores. According to the officials, the narrow roads and crowded area became a big challenge while fighting the fire. They also said that there was a shortage of water and the buildings were weak. Officials said five buildings were damaged in the fire, three of which collapsed, and no casualties or injuries have been reported so far. According to the fire department, due to a lack of water supply, the remote-controlled machine used in firefighting operations could not be used properly.
“The narrow bylanes of congested Chandni Chowk made it difficult for fire tenders to enter the spot. At some places the firemen had to break the barricades set up for the beautification of Chandni Chowk,” said Atul Garg, director of the Delhi Fire Brigade. Another challenge, he said, was that fire engines were parked on the side of the road because they could not enter the narrow lanes of the fire area. Officials said that while traders suspected a short circuit as the cause of the fire, the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. In a statement, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal criticized Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for not visiting the incident site.
