New Delhi, May 6: Saurabh Bhardwaj, the Delhi state president of the Aam Aadmi Party, has criticized the government regarding the devastating fire incident in Vivek Vihar. He accused the administration of shifting blame onto the victims to evade responsibility. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
Bhardwaj stated that the government claims there was only one staircase in the building, which hindered people from escaping. However, he raised a critical question: why did the fire department take nearly 50 minutes to arrive and initiate rescue operations? He also inquired why the fire brigade’s water cannon lacked sufficient pressure, preventing timely control of the blaze.
He pointed out that in a previous fire incident in Palam, the government similarly blamed the victims to cover up its failures, which also resulted in nine fatalities.
Bhardwaj alleged that the government consistently uses such arguments to hide its shortcomings. He challenged Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Minister Ashish Sood, asking if their own homes have more than one staircase. He emphasized that most homes in Delhi have only one staircase, making it unreasonable to cite this as the cause of the tragedy.
He further noted that eyewitnesses reported that fire trucks arrived approximately 20 minutes after being notified, but it took an additional 30 minutes to prepare the equipment. This delay prevented timely rescues, as many individuals were left pleading for help from rooftops and balconies.
Bhardwaj also questioned the government’s assertion that the building had automatic locks, contradicting local residents who claimed otherwise. He accused the government of repeatedly blaming victims to evade accountability.
Additionally, he raised concerns about the lack of public access to the district magistrate’s investigation report from the Palam fire incident on March 18. He stated that such incidents could happen to anyone in the capital, and the government must take responsibility and provide answers.
Bhardwaj emphasized the necessity of holding the government accountable in such cases to prevent future occurrences and save lives.
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