Karol Bagh blaze: Factory owner not able to produce NOC

NEW DELHI: The owner of a garments manufacturing unit in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh, where four workers were killed after a fire broke out on Monday afternoon, could not produce a valid no-objection certificate (NOC) until late Tuesday for running a commercial unit in the building. According to the police, the building is situated in a residential area.

Prima facie, the unit, on the first floor of a five-storey building in Beadonpura, next to Gaffar Market, had caught fire when one of the workers, who was specially abled and found walking difficult, spilled ‘white petrol’ used for cleaning fabric.the chemical splashed on a steam iron and sparked a fire. Firefighters said that the specially abled man, Baghan Rai, collapsed near the exit, blocking the way for three other workers — Ram Naresh, Aasha and Aarti, who were trapped and later found dead in the rear of the building.

A team from the forensic science laboratory visited the factory on Monday afternoon and collected samples to establish which chemical fuelled the blaze. Additional deputy commissioner of police (central) Amit Sharma said that since the factory was gutted, the forensics team had to collect air fumes, which will be tested.

“It is also a matter of probe whether a short circuit caused the fire or a mistake by one of the workers did. We have also booked the owner for negligence as it was found that adequate firefighting equipment was not in place in the factory,” the additional DCP said.

The police said the factory had been operating in the same building for more than 20 years. Another officer, who is probing the matter, said that factory owner Ajay Khurana’s brother had also been called for questioning.

North Delhi Municipal Corporation spokesperson said their officials are looking into the matter. “As per the initial information, the affected area measured approximately 22 square yards. The fire was sparked on the first floor, where, reportedly, clothes were being ironed. We are yet to verify whether the commercial activity was being conducted illegally.”