Death Due To Illegal Factory Fire In Delhi's Pratap Nagar: NGT Takes Suo Moto Cognizance, Constitutes 5 Member Joint Committee

While taking suo moto cognizance of media report of a man's death due to fire in an illegal factory in Delhi's Pratap Nagar, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday constituted a five member joint committee to submit report on the cause of fire, extent of damage and compensation within one month.

NGT's Principal bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel took cognizance of a Times of India's report titled "Delhi : Man charred to death as illegal factory catches fire" dated 28th February 2021. According to the said report, a 35 year old man namely Upchand Kumar, resident of Bihar, was charred to death while three others, including two firefighters, were injured after a massive fire broke out at a factory in North Delhi's Pratap Nagar.

According to the investigation into the fire incident, it was revealed that the illegal unit comprising of two floors had collapsed due to the fire. The illegal unit was operating various factories and packaging units from different rooms. The workers of the unit lived in the same building complex.

Noting that there was non compliance of statutory safeguards under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989, the Hazardous and other Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 and the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the Tribunal, the Tribunal thus opined:

"It is necessary to ascertain the cause of the incident, the extent of damage caused, the extent of compensation required to be paid for damage to the environment as well as for loss of lives, causing of injuries and steps required to be taken for preventing any such occurrence in future on the same pattern as the Tribunal has dealt with such accidents in the recent past."

In view of this, while constituting the 5 member joint committee, the Tribunal also issued notice to CPCB, DPCC, North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the DM, North Delhi.

"The nodal agency for coordination and compliance will be the CPCB and the DPCC. The joint Committee may visit to the site and give its report about the cause of the incident, the extent of damage caused, the extent of compensation required to be paid for damage to the environment as well as for loss of lives, injuries and steps required to be taken for preventing any such occurrence in future within one month. Except for visit to the site at least once, the Committee will be free to conduct its proceedings online." NGT directed.

The matter will now be listed on 30th April 2021.

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