Inquiry and silence: Delhi’s repeated response to tragedies

New Delhi: In the aftermath of the devastating fire at a bed-and-breakfast establishment in Malviya Nagar that claimed at least 21 lives on Wednesday, Delhi authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry to fix responsibility and announced a sweeping crackdown on fire safety violations.Yet, the response to the tragedy follows a script that has become all too familiar after every major fire or building collapse in the capital – inquiry, promises of accountability, limited action, and then another disaster.In the recent past, inquiries have yielded little accountability beyond action against a few lower-level officials. Late May, after six people were killed in a building collapse near Saket metro station, CM Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry. Days later, MCD suspended a junior engineer and an assistant engineer. Larger questions – about illegal construction, structural safety audits and enforcement failures -- remain unanswered.Earlier in May, a devastating fire tore through a four-storey residential building in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar Phase I, killing nine people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child. According to sources, several shortcomings were flagged in the rescue operations. Following the tragedy, CM ordered a magisterial probe and directed the DM to submit a detailed report. More than a month later, there has been little clarity on the status of accountability measures.A similar pattern was seen after the Palam fire tragedy on March 18, which claimed nine lives from three generations of a single family and injured three others. The blaze, suspected to have originated from an electrical fault or short circuit on the ground floor of a mixed-use building near Palam metro station, led to another magisterial inquiry ordered by CM.A senior Delhi govt official said inquiries alone cannot prevent future tragedies. “Weak enforcement of building regulations, unauthorised commercial activities, inadequate fire safety systems and poor inspection mechanisms are recurring factors behind many disasters,” he said, requesting anonymity.Following Wednesday’s incident, LG T S Sandhu and Delhi home minister Ashish Sood ordered a month-long citywide crackdown on fire safety violations. At an emergency review meeting attended by senior govt officials, the home department was designated the nodal agency for a special enforcement and prevention campaign beginning June 4. The drive will cover hotels, B&B facilities, lodges, inns, nursing homes, coaching institutes, restaurants and other commercial establishments.Authorities said rooms operating beyond permitted capacity will be closed and non-compliant premises sealed. District-level teams comprising police, MCD and fire officials will conduct inspections of fire safety equipment and water supply systems. Hotel associations will be sensitised on fire safety while guidelines will be circulated among commercial buildings and RWAs. DFS will establish a dedicated helpline within a week to receive complaints regarding violations. Agencies have been directed to identify bottlenecks affecting the movement of fire tenders.For the Malviya Nagar incident, officials have been directed to ensure medical care for the injured, priority identification of bodies, DNA sampling, and assistance with cremation, burial or transportation of the deceased.