Beedanpura in Central Delhi is home to hundreds of illegally running units and narrow passages and serpentine lanes are virtual death traps for the poor labourers working there. On Monday in one such incident, four workers lost their lives after a fire broke out in a laundry unit that was being run illegally in a house at central district of Karol Bagh. What is even more painful is the fact these lives could have been saved, had the civic authorities sealed this illegal unit.
“This is not the only illegal unit in the area. Gali (street) number-30 — cramped, dirty and jumbled — at Beedanpura area in Karol Bagh of national Capital have several small illegal factory in four-stroyed houses running just stone’s throw away distance from zonal office of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC)”, said a resident pleading anonymity.
All these units exist in extremely small premises, which are mostly stuffed with goods, not allowing any ventilation into the room. Most of the buildings do not have a sanction plan and have illegally added a third or a fourth floor to the already existing structure.
According to a senior north corporation official, most of these unregulated industry hubs have emerged in low-middle class residential areas, unauthourised colonies and slum clusters.
“These illegal hubs are not a part of the conforming industrial areas and hence do not follow labour laws or fire-safety norms. The workers here also sleep inside,” said a senior official of NMC. The official further said that in an intensive survey carried out in different residential areas by the north corporations, thousands of polluting and non- polluting units for producing plastic bags, rubber or chemicals and others found running in non- confirming areas such as Karol Bagh, Mundka, Kamruddin Nagar, Nilothi, Swarn Park and Tikri Kalan. The licensing team of corporation had already sealed 516 factories in Shahbad Daulatpur, Prahladpur and Pooth Khurd for running factories in non-conforming areas, he said. The action would be initiated against all these units soon, he said.
Action was taken on the basis of a list of 51,837 industries provided by the Delhi State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) to three municipal corporations in June this year.
Farhan, a worker in the area told The Pioneer he had been working here in a denim factory in the area for last five years. “I work on daily basis and earn Rs 400 per day. This incident is shocking for us and I agree there is no provision for us to escape if there is some tragedy or a fire incident but for living we have work,” said Farhan.
