Smoke emanates from gutted shops in Chandni Chowk on 5th day; fire fighting still on

Fire fighting operations continued at the Bhagirath Palace market in Chandni Chowk for the fifth consecutive day on Monday even as smoke emanated from the debris of gutted shops, officials said.

They said over 150 fire tenders have been pressed into service since the fire outbreak.

The traders' body, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has requested the Centre, the Delhi government and insurance companies to help start the rehabilitation work for the affected traders of Bhagirath Palace market where more than 250 shops were gutted in the incident.

CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal and other trade leaders said along with the Delhi Electrical Traders Association (DETA), efforts will be made to speed up processing of insurance claims of the affected traders.

"Around 150 fire tenders have been engaged till now, nine of them are still at the spot. Around 200 shops have been affected, while five building have been completely or partially burnt, and three have collapsed in the blaze," a senior official said.

A case under IPC sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) has been registered against unknown people, the official said.

The fire was brought under control by Friday morning, but while the cooling process was still underway, the blaze reignited again and turned massive by the evening.

On Saturday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had visited the market and said a multi-disciplinary committee had been constituted to look into ways to effectively address issues like hanging wires and overloaded circuits in the region.

He also sought the active involvement of residents and other stakeholders in areas like Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar and Paharganj, among others.

He has also sought a report within 30 days.