Over 120 shops destroyed, traders distraught

New Delhi: Flames consumed over 120 shops and storehouses in the Anil Market complex and Bhagwati Complex on Nai Sadak in Chandni Chowk on Thursday. Since most of the establishments weren’t insured, the owners are uncertain about the future given their financial losses.
Jai Kishan, owner of Laxmi Saree Centre, lost his shop on the ground floor and storehouse on the second floor to the fire.“My son had gone upstairs to collect stock and found flames in the godown. Other people rushed up but before we could think of saving anything, the fire spread to the whole complex. I couldn't even retrieve my documents and cash, leaving the shop with a heavy heart just to save my life,” said Kishan, estimating his losses at Rs 30 lakh.
The businessmen are unsure of how to move forward. Sri Niwas Pandey, who was standing near Jai Kishan, struggled to speak. “This shop was my sole source of income for around 20 years but it wasn’t insured,” said the Shahdara resident in a choked voice. “I was in another shop and only left there around 9pm. Even after most of my sari stock was burnt down, I had hoped that I would be able to renovate my shop and carry on. But by 11pm, even that hope also shattered when the whole building collapsed.”
On Friday afternoon, TOI visited the market and saw firefighters still working to extinguish the flames that keep jumping up at various spots. Since Thursday evening, the electricity supply to the entire Nai Sadak area has been cut, mobile networks aren’t functioning properly, and grim-faced traders awaited the dousing operations to be completed.
The locals claim the market is biggest wholesale market for saris in old Delhi. Adjacent to Anil Market with its 50-60 shops and godowns are the New Marwadi Katra and Bhagwati Karta markets, all three sharing a common entry and exit point.
Hari Om, who runs a shop in New Marwadi Katra, said, “Prominent people visit this place. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second PM of India, had come too. Customers come from all across north India. After Thursday’s fire, political leaders came and gave us some assurances but the fact is the basic system, such as fire hydrants at main Chandni Chowk market, was not functioning on Thursday. Water was arranged from Paschim Vihar.”
Area MLA Parlad Singh Sawhney, visiting the site, said he had asked the traders to prepare a plan for replacing the overhead wires, a project he would fund under the MLALAD scheme. As for the non-functional hydrants, he said the system couldn’t function if there wasn’t enough water in the tanks, alluding perhaps to the water crisis in the city. However, Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Service, claimed both fire engines and hydrants had been used in the operations.
Aggrieved traders complained that the authorities had failed to take corrective action even after frequent blazes, pointing out how the dangling electricity lines had never been removed. In May, five shops were gutted near Fatehpuri Masjid, a massive fire broke out at a building in Dariba Bazar in Feb and in Nov last year, over 100 shops were scorched in Chandni Chowk due to alleged short circuit in the wires hanging overhead.