Wire bundles, dingy alleys make Tank Road fire prone

The Tank Road area, where the fire broke out on Saturday morning, can expect more such incidents to occur. Reason? From hanging wires to lack of fire safety mechanism, labourers claim they gamble with their lives everyday.

The area is cluttered, with very little space for movement, in case a heavy vehicle or an SUV enters the locality. There is very little space between the walls of the many factories lining the street. In fact, fire at any one of the factories can jeopardise the safety of the adjacent ones, too.

Most of the labourers working in the area hail from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Jumman, the 35-year-old who died in the fire on Saturday, hailed from Bihar as well. One of the labourers working at a factory said: "It could be any of us. We feel scared. Our lives hold no value. Our owners are absolutely negligent towards assuring our safety. The building clutter is condensed that it is nearly impossible to run to safety in case of mishaps."

"Hanging wires are another problem. Some factories have illegal wires to hook electric supply. Even otherwise, the buildings are loaded with wire bundles, but locals don't seem to be bothered by it. The owners are busy making money, and do not think before risking our lives. Electric cables are visible in the locality. One short-circuit can blow up ten-fold due to this," added the labourer.