'Lost Class 12 Board Exam Admit Card': Stories Of Loss In Sultanpuri Fire

At Delhi's Sultanpuri, a fire gutted at least 150 shanties in a slum area, which has left over 500 people homeless.

At least 150 shanties were gutted in a fire in northwest Delhi's Sultanpuri on 3 March. The Quint visited the site and spoke to the residents about what they lost.

(Photo: Aakriti Handa/The Quint)

An enclosure of land, seated deep inside Delhi's Sultanpuri area, which housed at least 150 shanties, was gutted in a fire on the intervening night of 2 and 3 March. It has rendered at least 500 people –  men, women and children – homeless. Though no casualties have been reported, at least eight people were injured in a stampede that broke out after the fire, as per the Delhi Fire Service.

The Quint visited the site, where the fire has turned 1.5 acres of land into to a dystopian barren one. 

Jiyarun, 18, was rummaging through charred remains of what once used to be his home. "I can't find my admit card. I have my board exams," he lamented. He has already appeared for two of six class 12 CBSE board exams. He said that he had come from West Bengal's Kolkata to Delhi so that he could study but has now lost all his books, notebooks and even his admit card in the fire. The fire broke out minutes past midnight on 3 March, and the Delhi Fire Service sent 23 fire tenders to douse the flames.  

Most people who lived in Pooth Kalan neighbourhood in Sultanpuri were migrant workers, whose livelihood depended on segregating garbage. Others were scrap dealers. After the fire, they were left rummaging for their own belongings.

"The fire was large and spread quickly because all the plastic and paper that they had segregated caught fire," a resident of a neighbouring concrete building told The Quint.

Muarjina Sheikh, 50, sat with her youngest child outside the bylane which led to the  shanty where she lived. A garbage picker, she was waiting for the charred carcass of her wheelbarrow to be loaded into a truck. This wheelbarrow was her main source of income. Hours after the fire, she hoped that its remains could be sold for  for money. 

Sheikh, who has a family of five, said she had moved to Delhi from West Bengal nearly five years ago, and had been living here ever since. "When the basti caught fire, we all ran from whatever exits we could find. The lane to enter is extremely narrow," Sheikh told The Quint.

"Jo ghar jaane ke paise bachaye the, wo bhee jal gaye (Whatever money I had saved to return home also got burnt in the fire)," she mourned.

A truck carried remains of charred wheelbarrows and carts that residents of this basti used for work. The Delhi Fire Service sent over a 100 firefighters to douse the flames, and the fire was finally contained post 3.30 am. A lot, however, had already been lost.  

"Ye aag ne pedon se patte aur humse humaari ummeed chheen li (This fire took leaves from the trees and our hopes from us)," said Humza, a resident, as he sat on a pile of rubble.  He was scouring for whatever remains from the place where his shanty once stood.

The Quint met Roshni, 26, who moved to Delhi from West Bengal with her husband a year ago after they got married.

She also segregates garbage for a living. "No one knows how the fire started. All I know is that I lost everything in it, including two silver nose rings my mother had given me for my wedding," she said, as she fought back tears. 

Like many others, Roshni said that she will live at her relative's house for a few days.

Meanwhile, Roshni's husband Rinku -- seemingly agitated by the damage the fire caused to their household -- said "Itna sab kuch ho gaya, kisi ne ek glass paani tak nahi poocha (We suffered so much but no one has offered even a glass of water)." 

He then added, "Hum sabka kooda uthaate hain, magar humko sambhaalne koi nahi aaya (We collect everyone garbage but no one is here to take care of us." 

His feet had turned black from looking for whatever valuables he could from the site of the fire. 

"Ek pant bhe nahi bachi pehenne ke liye (I don't have a single pair of pants left)," Rinku told The Quint.

Abdul Rohit Khan, 35, left Kolkata for Delhi 15 years ago, in search of a job. "I had been living here for five years. After the fire, electricity went off. We couldn't start the motor to pump up water and douse the fire. We pushed the children out first from adjoining terraces," Khan pointed to the concrete buildings that shared the wall with the basti.

"All of my savings, nearly Rs 40,000, and my Quran Sharif have been burnt. I was supposed to return home on 15 March. My goat and rooster got killed in the fire. I have lost everything," said Khan.

Burnt foodgrain spread out on the floor.

A burnt CRT Television set seen at the site of fire. The Delhi Fire Service is yet to ascertain what led to the fire. 

Many residents lamented how they have lost important documents such as ID cards to the fire. 

Deputy Chief Fire Officer SK Dua told The Quint that 23 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and that the fire was controlled within three hours.

On being asked how the fire department managed to send the fire tenders through such narrow bylanes, Dua said that at least 15-20 hose pipes were laid out, and they used five lines of water to surround it and control it from all directions.

"There was too much smoke because it was a confined area, and it was also very dense, which led to very poor visibility. So, we used robots to douse the fire. They are more efficient, since the level of water is higher and they have dual functionality -- where water can either be thrown in the form of a jet or a spray foam," Dua explained.