Gaffar Market fire MCD says building had approved plan no prior complaints

    New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The building where a fire broke out at Delhi's Gaffar Market on Friday had an approved building plan dating back to 2005, with no recent complaints regarding fire hazards, battery storage, electrical wiring or commercial activity, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said.

     The civic body said the property at 13A/21, WEA Karol Bagh, comprised a basement, ground floor and three upper floors and was an old, occupied building located in the special area of Karol Bagh.

     The building is protected from punitive action under the provisions of the Delhi Special Provisions laws, it said, adding that queries regarding its trade licence fell under the jurisdiction of the licensing department.

     The fire broke out at a mobile accessories shop in Gaffar Market’s Chain Wali Gali in the early hours of Friday, coinciding with Dhanteras, and spread across the four-storey commercial building, prompting the deployment of around 22 fire tenders.

     No casualties or injuries were reported, though the blaze caused extensive damage to property, police said.

     The fire was reported at Puri Plaza at 1.28 am. Police personnel who reached the spot found the blaze at shop number 13/21, which housed businesses dealing in mobile accessories.

     Prima facie, overheating or overcharging of batteries was suspected to be a possible cause of the fire. The exact reason will be established after a detailed examination, police said.

     The Delhi Fire Service and the electrical inspector will submit reports to help establish the cause of the incident. A forensic team will also examine the building to ascertain whether other combustible materials were stored there.

     Police will also seek a structural safety assessment from the MCD to rule out any risk to human life.

     The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) urged the Delhi government to station fire tenders round-the-clock at 20 crowded markets in the national capital till Bhai Dooj, citing the heightened risk of fire incidents during the festive season.

     In a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the traders’ body also sought the creation of a Rs 100-crore Traders' Fire Disaster Fund to provide financial assistance to small traders whose shops are damaged in fire incidents.

     Traders noted that goods worth crores were destroyed and the fire lasted for a few hours as it torched the entire building. Ajit Singh, one of the traders who owns a shop in Karol Bagh, said he reached the spot at around 2.30 am and stayed till early morning as the fire was being doused.

     "The traders have not realised till now how much goods have gone to ashes. The figure is likely to run into crores. The fire was devastating," he said.

     The demand comes amid concerns over fire safety in congested commercial areas, where shops often deal in electrical goods and other potentially combustible materials.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)