Delhi HC Urges Fire Dept and MCD to Assess Basic Safety Measures for Slum Residents
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New Delhi, Dec 16 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has directed the city's Fire Department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to investigate the practicality of establishing a basic level of safety for individuals residing in slums and JJ clusters.
A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was deliberating on a public interest litigation (PIL) that highlighted a tragic event in the slums of Neb Sarai, where a fire took the lives of a 12-year-old girl and a woman.
According to the petition filed by Alliance For People’s Rights, a coalition of NGOs, "This preventable disaster occurred because emergency services, including fire brigades, could not access the area due to narrow and congested lanes."
This tragic incident has brought to light the administrative negligence that has not only violated the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India but has also inflicted significant distress on the community.
The petition highlighted that the fire caused significant suffering to around 100 individuals, predominantly from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who lost their makeshift homes and minimal possessions, further deepening their despair.
"This incident emphasizes the grave repercussions of administrative negligence and underscores the immediate necessity for infrastructural improvements and disaster readiness in Neb Sarai to avert such tragedies in the future," it further articulated.
The PIL, submitted through attorney Pankaj Sinha, requested directives for the development and enforcement of comprehensive guidelines to address the obstacles faced by slums throughout various regions of Delhi, especially those with narrow passageways that obstruct access to vital public services and facilities, to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate events.
Additionally, it demanded that authorities be mandated to provide adequate and exemplary compensation to all victims who have lost their lives or sustained severe injuries due to negligence. It also sought directives to ensure essential amenities in localities to uphold the residents' right to live with dignity.
Emphasizing the need for appropriate construction standards in the national capital, the Delhi High Court has disposed of the petition.
