The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
24 hours on, owners stare at losses: ‘I have lost my livelihood... can’t rebuild business’
A FIRE tender was trying to pass through the narrow stretch. Two firefighters walked ahead, asking people to move away.
It has been 24 hours since a fire engulfed the Marwari Katra market in Chandni Chowk. The embers were still smouldering and smoke poured out of burnt shops. By the time the first fire tenders arrived Thursday evening, this congested market that houses bridal wear shops, booksellers and textile godowns was already up in flames.
On Friday, business owners sat in groups talking about the “mammoth losses”. “Tagda nuksaan hua hai (There has been a big loss),” remarked a shopkeeper. “The entire market has suffered losses,” responded another.
The devastation caused by the fire has reminded people yet again of the dangers in these congested clusters. Over 80 shops were destroyed and two buildings collapsed.
In 2022, a fire gutted over 100 shops in Bhagirath Palace, a mere 3 km away.
“There is no way to save anything whenever there is an accidental fire inside. There is no way for the fire tenders to reach,” a store owner said.
In fact, the fire tenders — over 40 of them — had to be stationed on the main road Thursday. The pipes were carried through the narrow pathways to the terrace of the multi-storey Marwari Charitable Trust, the tallest building around. This was the only feasible way to pour water and douse the fast-spreading flames.
On Friday, four tenders kept working in six-hour shifts, with five men in each vehicle per shift.
Although the fire had been brought under control, firefighters were apprehensive that the embers hidden under the gutted structures were still active.
Meanwhile, worried business owners stood guard near their shops to ensure they could raise an alarm if the fire began to spread again. “We spent the entire night here. The fire spread so quickly that when a few of us tried to remove our stocks, we couldn’t. It was impossible,” said Mudit Jain, a saree shop owner. His shop escaped the flames but the smoke and water severely damaged his goods.
“While several among us have lost everything in the fire, others whose shops escaped will also suffer. Most of the market is in ruins now. I don’t think any customer will come here now,” said Mohammad Akram, who also runs a lehenga-saree shop.
He said he had gone to his village and was planning to stay there till Eid. “I received a call from a neighbouring shop owner who told me that my shop was gutted,” he said. “I’ve lost my livelihood. This fire destroyed my stocks worth Rs 5-6 lakh. I don’t think I can rebuild my business now. I have no money.”
Rajesh Sharma, who heads the Marwari Market Traders Association, said the losses are huge. “Big shop owners are completely destroyed. They have losses in crores. There were no fire checks in the area,” said Sharma, adding that the market isn’t unauthorised. “Most shops function from structures that are a hundred years old. They were once havelis and residences subsequently converted into shops 50-60 years ago,” he said.
Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha MP Praveen Khandelwal also visited the market and met traders.
“After speaking with the people in the affected market, it was found that around 175 shops were badly damaged, with most goods in these shops reduced to ashes, causing significant loss to the traders,” he said and urged the Delhi government and BSES to provide compensation to the affected traders immediately.
Congress leader Jai Prakash Agarwal also visited the area. “... Incidents of fire keep happening every day in Chandni Chowk but till now, neither the Centre nor the Delhi government has tried to find a solution...,” he said.
An MCD official said “these structures were made in the 1960s” and their “status as authorisedconstructionscanonlybeascertained after the fire is doused andaproperassessmentiscarried out”.“thesearealloldstructures... thereisapossibilitythattheowners will not be allowed to rebuild theirshopsagain,”theofficialsaid.