"Guilty will not be spared"': Delhi Minister Ashish Sood on Malviya Nagar fire, says probe on for alleged negligence by buildng owner

Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday said that the police is probing the matter of the Malviya Nagar fire which killed atleast 21 people, saying that the building owner, if found responsible for alleged negligence, will be arrested. The Delhi Power minister asserted that an investigation has been launched, and that authorities would take strict action against those responsible with "no illegal building to be spared." Speaking to reporters, Sood said the building owner would be held accountable if found negligent and that an investigation was underway to determine whether the establishment had obtained the necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC) and permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast (BnB) facility.

"The building owner responsible for negligence will be arrested shortly. We will not spare any illegal building or those found guilty," Sood said. "The guilty will not be spared. We are probing whether the building had obtained an NOC and whether the required permission to run a BnB was secured," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari described the incident as "very unfortunate" and said authorities were working to identify lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy. "This is a very unfortunate incident. We have received information that a massive fire broke out in a restaurant operating within a hotel. According to the information available so far, 21 people have lost their lives. This is a matter of investigation, and we are continuously trying to rectify all shortcomings," Tiwari told ANI.

Wasim Raja, a local resident who participated in rescue efforts, said he and others rushed to the scene immediately after noticing the fire and used mattresses from a nearby shop to help people escape from the building. "The moment the short circuit happened, we reached here. We were among the first to arrive. There is a mattress shop nearby, and we took mattresses from there and spread them on the road to help those jumping from the building," Raja said.

He added that local residents joined hands with firefighters and police personnel to rescue several people trapped inside. He said, "Soon after, teams from the Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police arrived. We pulled out several foreign nationals in an unconscious condition from inside the building. Villagers, along with firemen and police personnel, rescued many people. Some of us also suffered injuries to our feet due to broken glass." (ANI)

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