Nearly 100 shops were gutted in a massive fire in the wholesale market of Bhagirat Palace area in North Delhi's Chandni Chowk late Thursday night.
Although no injuries were reported, firefighters complained of the struggle to bring the fire under control due to the narrow and congested lanes of old Delhi's Chandni Chowk market.
Nearly 100 shops were gutted in a massive fire in the wholesale market of Bhagirat Palace area in North Delhi's Chandni Chowk late Thursday night.
The blaze was finally brought under control after raging throughout the night.
Although no injuries were reported, firefighters complained of the struggle to bring the fire under control due to the narrow and congested lanes of the old Delhi market.
However, the incident of fire breaking out in this old Delhi market is not new and has become a perpetual worry due to a plethora of wires hanging loose all over the area.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his grief over the incident and said he is taking stock of the situation from the district administration concerned.
"This incident of fire in Bhagirath Palace market of Chandni Chowk late last night is very sad. Since last night, the fire brigade personnel are working hard to douse the flames. I am taking information about this from district administration," he tweeted in Hindi.
According to the fire department, a call about the blaze was received at 9.19 pm on Thursday and 40 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
The fire that broke out at one shop soon spread to adjacent ones, all dealing in supplying electrical appliances, officials said.
Director of Delhi Fire Service Atul Garg on Friday morning said, "Fire is under control. Now 22 fire tenders are working for cooling operations. However, the cause of the fire is not yet known."
However, Garg tweeted, "Fire in Chandni Chowk. Total 40 fire vehicles and 200-plus fire personnel were deployed. Major concern weak structures, shortage of water and narrow lane, building started collapsing."
Ignoring the intermittent sounds of blasts and policemen warning of boned-out portions of buildings collapsing, dejected traders, who had their faces covered with handkerchiefs to prevent the stench, waited impatiently to enter their incinerated shops to recover whatever they could.
Amid the haze of smoke billowing from the burnt-out shops at Mahalaxmi Market in the Bhagirath Palace area, the largest wholesale markets for electrical and electronics in the country, policemen could be seen warning people against getting near the affected buildings.
"Don't stand so dangerously close. The building is still burning and might collapse anytime. If something happens to us it's okay but nothing should happen to you," police personnel told a trader.
"Portions of a building collapsed and the AC compressors exploded. We are unable to go near the building," a fire department official, who did not wish to be named, said.
According to DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi, four to five buildings each housing 20 to 25 shops have been affected by the fire while three buildings collapsed during firefighting operations.
Amid bellowing cries, Sanjay Kumar, whose shop was completely burnt out, said, "Our entire shop is destroyed. We have suffered a loss of several crores. We are just waiting for the fire to douse. But I don't think anything is left."
Among the lucky ones is Balwinder Singh who owns a shop opposite a burning building.
"As of now, our shop is safe. I got to know about the fire at around 11 pm on Thursday. My father was at the shop and he told me our shop is safe but I am here to check," he said.
Life in the outer lanes however moves on.
Traders in the busy commercial area of Chandni Chowk could be heard discussing the fire incident among themselves. "The fire hasn't doused yet," a trader told another.
A report by Indian Express quoted Bhagwan Bansal, general secretary of the Delhi Hindustan Mercantile Association who said that one of the major issues of Chandni Chowk is the massive number of tangled wires hanging from the pole. He further added that when the BSES personnel visit the area to change the meters, they don’t take any cognisance of the wire problem.
Although the issue has been raised to the local authorities, no conclusive steps have been taken till now.
In October, Delhi L-G VK Saxena had said that fire tenders and ambulances will be deployed near the old Delhi market to tackle similar emergency situation ahead of Diwali.
Saxena visited Chandni Chowk and interacted with members of various traders’ associations, RWAs and a section of visitors in a bid to upgrade amenities in the heritage precinct, facilitate smooth conduct of trade and make shopping a pleasing experience in the heritage market. The redevelopment also reportedly envisaged facade improvement, removing overhanging electric wires, repair of footpaths, drainage and repair of street lights, among others.
People there complained of the issue of hanging overhead wires that often led to fire incidents in the area and requested immediate intervention to address the issue. Besides, Chandni Chowk is also a residential place for nearly 60,000 people, who reside in the narrow lanes of the heritage area.
In September it was reported that the AAP government would soon begin the second phase of the redevelopment of Delhi's iconic Chandni Chowk, focussing on reviving and beautifying the historical architectural character of the buildings in the area, an official statement said on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia held a meeting with Public Works Department (PWD) officials and directed them to ensure a balance between historic and modern architectural designs during the second phase of redevelopment.
Sisodia said the public response to the first phase of Chandni Chowk redevelopment, where the government focused on decongesting the area and beautifying the main road stretch of the market to improve the shopping experience of visitors, was overwhelming.
"Historical places across Delhi symbolize the country's evolution over a while and the Kejriwal government is determined to preserve all these places as a priority. All the historical buildings should be revived with their original features," Sisodia said.
The first phase of the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project was completed in 2021 and the government was all set to begin its second phase soon, it said.
The redevelopment plan also envisages revamping of roads of the Shahjahanabad area to provide a better shopping experience to visitors and a better opportunity to explore the cultural heritage of Delhi, it said.
This is not the first time that fire broke out in Chandni Chowk this year.
In September, early this year, a fire broke out at a wholesale textile market in central Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area, although no casualties or injuries were reported.
Similarly, in January, a fire broke out at Lajpat Rai Market in Chandni Chowk and thirteen fire tenders were rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control.
(with PTI inputs)