One killed, huts burnt in fire at Gurugram slum

GURUGRAM: A fire broke out in the Shyam Jha Colony behind Sikandarpur Marble Market near Guru Dronacharya Metro station around 2:10 in the morning. A six-year-old boy died in the fire that affected around 350 people living in the slum. The 40-year-old colony built on a government land also saw another fire on Friday which affected 330 people.

The boy who died in the mishap has been identified as Farman. The parents of the boy managed to pull out two other sons but were unable to save Farman as the hut collapsed.

Around 2:20 am, the fire department recieved the distress call. Within 15 minutes two fire tenders from Sector 29 fire station reached the spot. It took 15 fire tenders and nearly three hours to douse the fire. The rains on Monday morning came as a breather to the authorities and people in the slum.

Devendra Singh, SHO of DLF Phase I, who reached the spot around 3:30 am, said the cause of fire was not ascertained yet but it was likely to be a gas leak. However, the residents of the colony believe it was the job of some miscreants. Soguna, a daily wager who has been living in that colony for the last 25 years, said she had lost all her belongings, and it would take her at least 15-20 days to rebuild her hut.

The colony contains around 900 shanties out of which 600 have been gutted in these two fires. The residents of the colony are mostly migrant labourers from different parts of the country.

Rajendra Saroha, district secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said, "We will ask the district magistrate to hold an inquiry into the cause of the fire and provide adequate resettlement."

Saroha said Slum Rehabilitation Board of every state was supposed to provide fire-proof pukka houses to people living in such colonies. The slum dwellers have been demanding such houses for the last three years.