Twitter
Advertisement

80 shops gutted in Chandni Chowk cloth mart, none hurt

Shopkeepers peg loss at Rs 130 crore; AAP MLA Alka Lamba draws flak after photos of her making a 'V' sign atop a hydraulic lift amid the chaos surface on social media

Latest News
article-main
Fire fighters help shop owners douse the flames in Chandni Chowk area
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

A major fire broke out at the Katra Dhuliya cloth market in the congested Chandni Chowk area late on Monday night, completely gutting over 78 shops. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Prima facie, it appeared that a short circuit led to the blaze.

As many as 29 fire tenders were rushed to the spot around 9.30 pm and it took over four hours to douse the flames. "It is not a residential area and most people had left by the time the fire spread. The exact magnitude of the material damage is difficult to estimate as of now, but over 200 families, including those of shopkeepers, staffers, and daily wagers, will be affected," Delhi Hindustani Mercantile Association President Arun Singhania said.

Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Atul Garg, said: "Cooling operations continued till Tuesday afternoon. The approach path was narrow and the building structure was very weak. A three-storey building had collapsed as well. The locals were horrified and it was tough to handle the unruly crowd."

The affected shopkeepers said they lost all the extra cloth that they had stocked ahead of the upcoming Eid festival. Some also had cash in their shops, which could not be retrieved. The shopkeepers pegged the total loss at an estimated Rs 130 crore.

Amid this chaos, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba was severely criticised for hampering the Fire Department's operations, after she climbed a hydraulic lift. Photographs of her making a 'V' sign with her fingers later surfaced on social media, further fuelling the controversy.

A special fire vehicle had to be called to help her get down the lift. Afterwards, she insisted on staying near the fire tenders, delaying the work even more. Calling her a nuisance, irked shopkeepers raised slogans against her.

Attempting to control the damage, AAP leader Atishi Marlena tweeted that media channels were running inaccurate stories in this regard. "Lamba reached the spot at 11 pm and helped the fire officers manage the crowd. She was there till 2 am. BJP councillors made the situation unruly by shouting slogans against her," she tweeted.

Meanwhile, shopkeepers alleged that municipal workers were asking them to call trucks and get the debris cleared. "We have already lost everything. Now, the MCD workers are asking us to call trucks. We will have to pay for that as well," a shopkeeper said.

They further said that they have been writing to the BSES after a fire gutted 12 shops in the Moti Bazaar area of Chandni Chowk three months ago, but are yet to receive any response.

...& ANALYSIS

  • Shopkeepers alleged that municipal workers were asking them to call trucks and get the debris cleared
     
  • They said that they have been writing to the BSES after a fire gutted 12 shops in the Moti Bazaar area three months ago, but are yet to receive any response.
     
  • Shopkeepers said they had lost extra cloth stocked up and even cash that could not be retrieved
Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement