Delhi is the capital of the country, the biggest center of rules, laws and monitoring, but after every major accident, a question arises whether only buildings are being erected here or is negligence also prevalent? Although there are many reports of fire incidents across the country including Delhi and Bihar, but a question has arisen from Delhi due to an alleged statement that came out in the investigation of Malviya Nagar Hotel fire incident, after which the entire system is in the dock. That statement is – “Everything works in Delhi…”
If indeed such thinking has taken hold, then the question is not just about one hotel, one owner or one accident, it is about the system which ignores the danger even after seeing it.
The question is about those rules which appear strict in the files, but appear ineffective on the ground. The question is about the investigation results that start after every accident, but do they ever wake up before the accident? After all, on whose instigation does all this happen? How long will this continue… ‘everything goes on’? And because everything runs in the system, the system wakes up every time only after the loss of innocent lives.
Three cities…three fires…but the story is the same
of Delhi Malviya Nagar A fire broke out, when investigation was done it came to light that the work was going on without following the rules. The statement of the accused revealed the thinking which put the system in the dock.
On the other hand, the fire in the hospital in Muzaffarpur, Bihar filled the lives of many families with mourning. There were different claims regarding the death figures, but the question remained the same, why did the system keep sleeping? How long will this continue and now a commercial complex in the heart of Hyderabad city was engulfed in flames. Within no time the entire building turned into a cloud of smoke and fire.
Delhi, Muzaffarpur and Hyderabad…three cities…three fires…but the story is the same. Somewhere fire safety rules were found captured on paper, somewhere emergency arrangements proved inadequate, and somewhere questions arose as to why the flaws were not seen earlier?
‘Everything works’ in Delhi…claims hotel owner Lavkesh
Shocking claims are now emerging in the investigation of Malviya Nagar fire. Hotel owner Lavkesh has said many such things during interrogation, which are not just the story of a hotel but raise big questions on the system. Lavkesh claims that he was assured that there was no need to worry too much about the rules, because “everything works in Delhi.” After all, who gave this assurance, on whose advice was the hotel expanded and how were fire safety rules ignored?
According to sources, during interrogation, Luvkesh has made many important claims and has argued that he is not aware of the rules. According to sources, Lavkesh told the investigating officers that the height of the hotel was less than 15 meters, hence he was told that fire NOC was not required. It claimed that it continued operating on this basis. Lavkesh also said that the change related to expansion and construction of the rooms was suggested to him by someone else. According to him, he was assured that this was a normal process and there would be no problem.
Read this also- Delhi Malviya Nagar Fire: Negligence, illegal construction and corruption are 5 major reasons for Malviya Nagar fire.
The biggest claim is that Lavkesh said during interrogation that he was told, “everything works in Delhi”, that is, he was assured that there would be no problem regarding the rules and approvals. The investigating agencies are now busy finding out who were the people who gave such trust to the hotel owner.
Now Lavkesh Bajaj is in police remand. After appearing in Saket court, the court has sent Luvkesh on police remand for 4 days. Now after interrogating Lavkesh, the police will try to find out how he was running this illegal hotel. Who are his associates? Apart from this, the police is also searching for the hotel manager and Luvkesh’s associate Jai Mishra.
Why did an accused like Lavkesh or whoever said that ‘anything goes’ in Delhi say that? let’s find out
- In many areas, more construction than the approved map.
- Many buildings do not even have adequate parking facilities.
- Cases of fire safety violations from time to time.
- Commercial activities common in residential areas.
- Crowd beyond capacity in restaurants, coaching centres, markets.
- Repeated encroachment on footpaths and public places.
- Open wires and unsafe power systems in many markets.
Yesterday, 26 hours after the Malviya Nagar incident, the Chief Minister got free time and only then the formalities of knowing the condition of the victims of the fire were completed, but the question is not just of condolences, it is a question of accountability. If 21 people lost their lives, then how many culprits are there? Under whose eyes was the illegal construction done, at whose instigation were the rules ignored and why were fire safety arrangements limited to papers only? There are talks of action after the accident, but Delhi wants to know whether only the small employees will be punished or will those big responsible people also be held accountable, whose negligence put 21 lives in danger?
Let us know, what has happened so far in the name of action in Delhi?
- Lavkesh on 4 days police remand.
- Many police teams got involved in the investigation.
- Investigation of fire safety rules started.
- The documents of the building are being scrutinized.
- Checking the validity of Fire NOC.
- Fire safety checking campaign across the city.
- Safety audit of surrounding buildings.
- Compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
- Rs 5 lakh compensation to the seriously injured.
Read this also- Malviya Nagar Hotel Fire: 21 deaths, 11 foreigners, hotel owner absconding. Horrific story of Delhi’s Malviya Nagar fire accident.
Bureau Report, TV9 Bharatvarsh
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