-Abhishek Vij
A large hotel named ‘Flourish Stay’ was constructed in a narrow lane of Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area without a No Objection Certificate (NOC), simply because of the prevailing “anything goes” attitude in the country. On Wednesday, a massive fire broke out at this hotel, claiming 21 lives.
Several major Delhi hospitals are located in the vicinity of Malviya Nagar. Relatives of patients visiting for treatment often seek accommodation in nearby hotels when suitable lodging is unavailable elsewhere; consequently, hotels of various sizes have mushroomed in the area. Patients’ relatives stay here, serving as a major source of revenue for these establishments.
The ‘Flourish Stay’ hotel in Malviya Nagar is one such property. Although permission had been granted for only six rooms, 25 rooms had actually been constructed. The hotel building had only a single entry and exit point. Windows were permanently sealed for air-conditioning purposes, and the main entrance operated via a sensor. A fierce fire broke out at 8:30 AM, trapping almost all the guests staying in the hotel.
While rescue workers arrived to evacuate people from the five-story building, the operation was extremely challenging. Fifty-eight people were evacuated and taken to the hospital, where 21 were declared dead. As the condition of some of the hospitalized individuals remains critical, the death toll could rise. Most of the deceased were foreign nationals from Nigeria, Mozambique, and Bangladesh; consequently, the repercussions of this tragedy will be farreaching. The Lieutenant Governor has ordered a magisterial inquiry.
The question arises: why were appropriate measures not taken beforehand? Buildings are constructed in violation of the law, or residential properties are converted into commercial ones, yet safety standards are disregarded because the owners’ primary objective is to maximize profit. The fire incident at the Malviya Nagar hotel is not the only instance highlighting this anomaly; a look back reveals numerous similar incidents that raise troubling questions. No one has forgotten the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire, which claimed 59 lives because the exit doors were locked. In 2019, a fire at an illegal factory in Anaj Mandi resulted in 43 deaths.
In May 2022, a fire in a commercial building in the Mundka area claimed 27 lives, as fire safety norms had been blatantly flouted there as well. And who can forget the fire caused by oxygen cylinders in Vivek Vihar in May 2024, which led to the deaths of seven newborns at a neonatal care center? During the Malviya Nagar fire, local residents stepped in like guardian angels to save those trapped inside. Arman, who runs a mattress shop opposite the hotel, laid out new mattresses worth approximately two lakh rupees on the street so that people could jump onto them and save their lives.
Locals rushed the injured to the hospital and even saved lives by administering CPR. Such a massive tragedy unfolded due to the disregard for safety regulations. Rooms had been constructed in the hotel’s basement; there was a restaurant on the ground floor, and the upper floors were used to accommodate guests for profit. When the fire broke out, the guests were trapped on the upper floors. In their desperate attempt to escape, some were engulfed by the flames and burned so severely that their families are unable to even identify the bodies. There is always an outcry when such accidents occur, but when will the administration actually learn a lesson