10 killed,10 missing in factory blaze

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Police,meanwhile,have registered a case of criminal negligence as the fire officials said the owner did not have a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire department.

Owner of the factory,Narendra Singla,is absconding.

The Delhi government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident,with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit directing Deputy Commissioner (West) G S Meena to submit a report within 15 days.

Dikshit also asked Labour and Industries Minister Ramakant Goswami to visit the site.

“We got the first call at 7.10 pm on Wednesday and rushed 24 fire tenders to the factory located at H 9,Udyog Nagar,Peeragarhi,” said a senior official of the Delhi Fire Services. “It appears the fire started in the packing unit and went out of control because of plastic goods present there.”

Twenty-two workers were employed in the factory and another 10 to 12 casual labourers were called in on a daily basis as per requirement,police said. They suspect 30 workers were inside the building when the fire broke out.

Police said Singla had set up the factory 15 years ago; it had a basement for storage,mezzanine floor and first floor. “By the time the tenders reached the spot,all floors were on fire,” said A K Sharma,Fire chief.

“Over the years,the owner had installed iron grills on windows for security reasons. The building had a setback area,but it was stacked with storage material,restricting movement,” he added.

Fire officials said the terrace,a possible escape route,was locked. “Had it been open,firemen could have pulled the trapped men out easily,” said a senior Fire official.

“The owner did not have a NOC. We had issued fire safety guidelines to the factory earlier,” Sharma added.

Officials suspect the trapped workers “became unconscious after inhaling the toxic fumes,and were charred to death”.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) V Renganathan said: “10 persons are missing as families have approached us claiming they haven’t returned since yesterday. We have registered a case of criminal negligence.”

The bodies are charred beyond recognition and are yet to be identified,police said. “We tried entering the building,but all entry and exit points were blocked since the building was ablaze,” said the Fire official.

Dikshit expressed grief over the incident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families.