The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued notices to Delhi’s Chief Secretary and Police Commissioner over Alipur fire incident where seven workers were charred to death.
Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports that seven workers were charred to death in a massive fire that broke out inside a paint factory in Alipur, Delhi on February 15, the commission sought a detailed report within six weeks in the matter.
The report should include the status of the FIR and the disbursement of compensation to the aggrieved families, the NHRC said.
The Commission would also like to know about the action taken against the delinquent officers, responsible for the tragedy, it added.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights.
Reportedly, more workers may have died as no one was able to escape because the factory had only one gate and there was no emergency exit. The victims are yet to be identified, it said.
This is not an isolated incident of fire where innocent workers have died due to negligence by the employers and the authorities in the National capital in the recent past, the NHRC further said adding, “The public servants appear to have not taken any lessons from the previous tragedies.”
Therefore, the Commission has directed the Government of NCT of Delhi to conduct a survey of all industrial units manufacturing hazardous chemicals and other inflammable substances, running illegally without following the safety guidelines as per the Factories Act in the national capital and submit a report within six weeks.
The report should also include the steps taken and proposed to be taken to ensure that such incidents violating the right to life of innocent people do not recur, it said.
The commission further highlighted some past incidents, stating that in May 2022, twenty people lost life in a massive fire at a four-storey commercial building near Mundka Metro station.
In January 2018, seventeen workers died in a fire at an illegal firecracker packaging unit in Northwest Delhi’s Bawana Industrial area in Delhi.
