In south Delhi's Hauz Rani, residents rely on ‘themselves, neighbours’ as fire fears linger after tragedy

As one enters Hauz Rani in south Delhi, the aftermath of a tragedy still hangs heavy over the narrow lanes where a massive fire claimed 21 lives at Flourish Stay B&B. The bylanes are tight, almost claustrophobic, with homes pressing in from both sides, making navigation difficult even on foot.Overhead, a dense web of tangled electrical and communication wires stretches across the locality—drooping, overlapping and dangerously close to rooftops. Residents say this criss-crossing mesh has long turned the neighbourhood into a potential fire and electrical hazard.“Every lane in Delhi has a web of wires hanging overhead. We don’t have an underground cable system in the city. We raised this in the MCD, and they sent some people to cut the wires. But after a few days, the residents called their private cable and wifi service providers to get these wires reinstalled,” said Mohammed Israil, a resident of the locality.Across from the site of the tragedy, a cluster of transformers stands amid parallel strands of tangled wiring, some hanging perilously close to buildings, others cutting across narrow lanes. What residents describe as routine infrastructure has now come under renewed scrutiny after the fatal blaze.Mohammed Riyan, an 18-year-old resident of Hauz Rani, pointed to what he called a persistent and overlooked danger embedded in everyday life in the area."The authorities conduct safety-check operations only after an incident occurs. Otherwise, they pay no heed to the safety of the people living in these narrow lanes. The hotel was on the main road, standing on a relatively broader lane, and still, the fire buses took too long to enter the lane. If a fire breaks out in my area."He added that while the proximity of wires and electric poles near the hotel had always been a concern, panic subsided after the blaze as power was cut quickly once authorities were alerted.Locals in the area further said that if a fire tragedy happens in our area, we cannot rely on fire brigades and we are dependent on ourselves.In one of the lanes, a house bears an electric pole passing through a corner of its balcony, with transformers suspended through a web of wires—an everyday sight residents say they have learned to live with, despite the risks.Geeta, who runs an iron stand in an adjacent lane, said, “We don’t wish to get into trouble and complain about these wires, as we are more bothered about sustaining our families in this city.”She moved to Delhi from Bihar decades ago in search of a better life, but says the struggle for stability has left little room to challenge the hazards around her.