After Arpit Hotel, Archies Factory in Naraina Goes Ablaze

New Delhi: A day after the Arpit Palace hotel fire incident in Delhi Karol Bagh area, another fire broke out at a paper factory in Naraina, West Delhi, on Thursday morning. As per reports, a massive fire ripped apart the factory of Archies, a greeting card maker in Delhi’s Industrial Area, Phase 1. Around 29 fire tenders reached on the spot to douse the fire which had engulfed the multi-storey building.

Reportedly, a telephone switch board had caught fire, leading to short circuit, which spread quickly to other parts of the building. So far, no loss of life has been reported. Speaking to Newsclick, Delhi Fire Services said there were three workers inside the factory who were save in time.

The incident has, once again, brought to the spotlight the indifferent attitude of the government and the departments in strict enforcement of fire safety norms.

The year 2018 witnessed a spurt in fire-related incidents in Delhi’s industries wherein almost 100 workers lost their lives. The incidents have exposed the plight of workers and the negligence of the administration, as was evident in the horrific Bawana factory fire that took place on January 2, 2018 that claimed lives of 17 workers, including a pregnant woman. The factory gates were locked and there was no way to exit. The owner of factory, Manoj Jain, was arrested and booked under Section 304. But it just didn’t end there.

Recently, Newsclick had reported how Delhi factories have turned into hellholes engulfing one worker after another in blazing fires, mainly due to lack of safety measures.

- On April 9, 2018, a massive fire broke out at a shoe godown in Sultanpuri, leaving four people dead.

- On May 6, 2018, a godown in Kotla Mubakarpur caught fire leaving two people dead.

- On December 25, 2018, a helmet manufacturing unit in Swaroop Nagar, Delhi, burnt leaving one person dead and one person injured. The fire spread due to the presence of combustible material. Three workers were sleeping inside when the fire broke out and the gates were also locked. There was no way for the workers to exit.

- On January 2, 2019, an industrial unit in Moti Nagar that specialised in fan blades was burnt to ashes, leaving six dead, including a child, and eight injured. It was found that a gas compressor exploded due to malfunctioning, following which the fire spread quickly engulfing the building made up of sub-standard material. The building exit was also locked. The factory was being illegally run in a residential area, against the Supreme Court orders.

Locals had alleged that even after receiving multiple orders for sealing the illegal factories, the factory owners did not budge. The SC, in its order had stated, “It is unfortunate that even after 14 years of setting up a monitoring committee to stop illegal industrial units in Delhi, around 5,000 are them are still operating in residential area.” It had noted, “Such industrial units which are illegally running in either residential and non-conforming areas will be closed down within 15 days and their water and electricity connection will be disconnected.”

- On January 11, 2018, a furniture godown caught fire, which spread to the nearby jhuggies, rendering 100 families homeless.

When Newsclick visited Bawana, an industrial area, workers complained about a common pattern, wherein the factory illegally made firecrackers and the doors were mostly locked. Sunita, whose mother had died in the Bawana factory fire, recently told Newsclick that she never received any compensation. “It had been four days since my mother had joined factory when she died. All I know that the doors were locked. Villagers informed me that she tried opening the door but it was locked. It is common over here. Mostly, factories which are running illegally lock their doors for 12 hours or sometimes 24 hours.”

Speaking on the fire-related incidents, Kaptaan Singh, General Secretary, Delhi Fire Service Employees’ Union, said, “As per the procedure, there should be a fire officer in the factory, hotel or any other building. But owners don’t follow this norm, just to save money.”