Delhi BJP delegation meets people affected in Alipur factory fire, announces financial help

The MCD, in a statement, said the house in which the fire incident happened was being used illegally for mixing chemical paint.

A delegation of the Delhi BJP led by its chief Virendra Sachdeva on Friday met the people affected by the fire tragedy in the city's Alipur area and announced financial aid for them.

Sachdeva announced Rs 50,000 aid for the funeral of each of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for the treatment of the injured, the BJP's Delhi unit said in a statement.

Eleven people died in an explosion and subsequent fire in a paint factory that also housed chemical godowns in outer Delhi's Alipur area on Thursday evening. The blaze spread to nearby buildings, including a drug rehabilitation centre and eight shops.

Four people injured in the incident were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The Delhi BJP president demanded that the Arvind Kejriwal government give Rs 25 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased and Rs 10 lakh to the injured. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Kejriwal announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of each of those killed in the fire, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 20,000 for those with minor injuries.

Sachdeva alleged that corruption in the factory licensing department and the AAP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was the reason behind the fire.

It needs to be investigated how a ''dangerous'' factory was operating in a thickly populated area, the Delhi BJP chief said. The MCD, in a statement, said the house in which the fire incident happened was being used illegally for mixing chemical paint. It was apprised by the neighbours that the house has started to be used for the mixing the paint recently, it said.