CM announces `5 lakh compensation for those killed; magisterial probe ordered
NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the families of 17 persons who lost their lives due to fire in a private hotel at Karol Bagh in central Delhi Tuesday morning. Besides this, the government also ordered a magisterial probe as Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain made an announcement to this effect. Before the Chief Minister, the Home Minister Satyendar Jain inspected the incident spot. Jain, who visited the Arpit Palace Hotel where the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, told reporters that he has also directed the fire department to inspect buildings which are five floors or more and submit a report on their fire safety compliance within a week.
On the directions of the Chief Minister, Home Minister Jain wrote to the Revenue Minister, Kailash Gahlot for instituting a magisterial inquiry into the matter as to how the hotel building had more than four floors, whether deliberate violations were allowed to allow the building to operate commercially against building bylaws and responsibility be fixed for lapses, which led to such a serious and painful incident. “We have ordered for a magisterial inquiry into the case. Seventeen people have died, most of them of suffocation. Apparently, there were lapses (from the hotel administration’s side) and action will taken against those found guilty,” he said.
Generally, four floors are allowed for such establishments, the minister said. “We saw a canopy was put up on the terrace and tables and chairs were laid out. Inside in the rooms, wooden panels were there on the walls. “So I have also directed the fire department to inspect such multistoreyed buildings which have five floors or more and submit a report in a week’s time,” he said. In addition to this, they have also decided to cancel an event scheduled on Tuesday to celebrate four years of the government. “Deputy CM has directed that the proposed function to be presented by ‘Vishal Dadlani’ at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium stands postponed,” the government sources said.