Thick plumes of smoke rising from the Ghazipur landfill left nearby residents gasping for breath for more than 24 hours after a major fire broke out at the site.
The fire started around 5 p.m. on Sunday and could be controlled only by 11 a.m. on Monday. Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg confirmed that the flames had been put out.
The incident triggered a political slugfest, even as Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai asked his department officials to submit a detailed report about the incident by Wednesday. He also sought an action plan to prevent such events in future.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also announced an inquiry hours after Finance Minister Atishi said an investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The Delhi police launched a probe into the incident after it booked unknown persons under IPC Sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) for causing the fire.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva visited the site and accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of ‘criminal negligence’. Sachdeva said most of the machines used to clear the garbage have been lying defunct for months and that the government has not bothered to get them repaired.
Environment Minister Rai said such incidents had been reported in the past, too, and his department had issued several guidelines to prevent such incidents. He asked officials to collect reports from all agencies concerned about compliance with the guidelines.
