Nine people died after a fire broke out in a four-story residential building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, Shahdara, Delhi [1].
The tragedy highlights the persistent risks of residential fire safety in densely populated urban districts of the Indian capital. The scale of the loss of life has prompted a direct response from the highest level of government to provide immediate financial relief to the affected families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "extremely distressing" [2]. He said that his thoughts are with the families of the victims [3].
Following the disaster, the Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for the kin of those who died [1, 2]. Additionally, he announced ₹50,000 for those who were injured in the blaze [3].
"The incident is deeply distressing. My thoughts are with the families of the victims," Modi said [3].
The fire occurred on Sunday, May 3, 2024, in the Shahdara district [3, 4]. Emergency responders worked to manage the scene at the multi-story residential site where the blaze occurred [4].
Modi announced the financial assistance via a post on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter [3]. He said, "I announce an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of those who lost their lives and ₹50,000 for the injured" [3].
“"Extremely distressing"”
The government's rapid deployment of ex-gratia payments serves as a standard immediate response to urban disasters in India, aiming to mitigate the sudden economic shock for bereaved families. However, the recurring nature of residential fires in Delhi's multi-story buildings often points to systemic issues regarding building code enforcement, and fire safety compliance in residential zones.
