More than 250 factories do not have fire NOC
Gurugram: A massive fire broke out in Sector 102 of Gurugram on Wednesday early morning. The fire spread rapidly and within a few minutes burned many huts to ashes. The fire spread so fast that the fire brigade had to struggle a lot to control it. However, there is no report of any casualty so far in this accident. The reasons for the fire are still being investigated. A massive fire suddenly broke out in the slums and junkyards located at around 5 am spread fastly in no time, completely destroying the belongings of the people kept in the huts caught fire . As soon as the incident was reported, several vehicles from Bhim Nagar Fire Station, Sector 37 Udyog Vihar and Sector 29 Fire Station reached the spot and after a lot of effort the fire was brought under control. However, the fire was prevented from spreading to other nearby settlements by the efforts of fire fighting staff. Although there is no report of any casualty in this accident, and.panic spread in the area. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet, but according to the preliminary investigation, it is suspected that the fire broke out in a slum while making tea. Nearly 50 huts were reported burnt due to many cylinders blasted.
According to the fire officer Narendra Singh, as soon as the fire was reported at around 4 am, fire brigade teams reached the spot within 10 minutes. A total of 10 fire tenders were deployed from Sector 37, Bhimnagar and Pataudi fire stations. He said, in this colony of about 150 huts, 40 to 50 huts were completely burnt to ashes, however, no more blasts occurred after the arrival of the fire brigade which completely extinguished the fire and examined the debris. According to information, around 400 to 450 people lived in this colony. As soon as the fire broke out, most of the people came out with their families. The fire brigade rescued the people trapped in the slums which were not affected by the fire. By 7 am, the fire was brought under control to a large extent, but smoke was rising from the debris. However, the exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained. In the preliminary investigation, a short circuit or cylinder leak is the suspected reason for mishap. According to residents any negligence or technical fault is the suspected reason for mishap, since the use of electric wires and gas cylinders was common in the colony, due to which the danger of such incidents always remains. They said, incidents of fire due to negligence are common here, reported in the also. Bandhwari landfill, spread over 30 acres, is the main destination for garbage from Gurugram and Faridabad where more than a thousand tons of garbage is dumped here every day.
Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goyal had visited the area and given several instructions for garbage management. Despite this, the frequent incidents of fire are raising questions on the garbage management and fire safety measures of the city. Local residents and environmentalists say that there is a dire need for scientific disposal of garbage at the landfill site and fire safety measures in slums. Information reveals, more than 250 factories in Gurugram’s Udyog Vihar have no fire NOC in-spite of the fact they are within 900 meters of the Air Force Ordnance Depot as such there is a risk of a major accident in case of a fire. Industrialists are demanding the government to reduce the restricted area. It is difficult for fire engines to reach the area due to encroachment and broken roads as such it is difficult for fire engines to reach due to encroachments. Industrialists say that years ago, industrial units were set up by buying plots from Haryana Urban Development Authority and HSIIDC, but necessary permissions, including fire NOC, are not being given on the grounds that the industries are located within 900 metres of the ordnance depot. The said, for years, industrialists have been demanding the government to reduce the restricted area of the ordnance depot, but there has been no hearing yet.
