'Mundka Building was congested, steel sheets separated floors, staircase', enquiry reveals

A preliminary enquiry into the condition of the Mundka building which claimed the lives of 27 in a deadly fire, has revealed that the structure was heavily congested due to storage, workstations and offices. While a clear picture from the forensic report is awaited, the initial report has suggested that on the first floor, there was a change-over switch/board for electricity and in the same place, cardboard and other materials were dumped, which may have allowed the fire to spread rapidly. 

It is being revealed that the building also served as an assembling unit for CCTV and routers, along with workstations and offices. Steel sheets were used to separate the staircase from the floors. There were partitions inside the buildings to use as storage areas.

DCP Outer Sameer Sharma has informed Republic that around 15 documents pertaining to the property and company have been seized from the Goel brothers as well as Manish Lakra- who are owners of the complex. Letters to more than 10 agencies have been sent to get more documents and details.

"We have taken about 15 documents from both Goel brothers and Manish Lakra each related to property, company documents, rent agreements etc. All are photocopies," said DCP Sameer Sharma. 

Delhi Mundka fire

A massive fire engulfed a three-storey building, near the Mundka metro station in West Delhi on the evening of May 13, claiming the lives of 27 people. More than 70 people were in the building when the fire broke out on the first floor and engulfed the entire building soon after. The flames were brought under control after 7 hours. At least 12 people who suffered injuries were taken to the Sanjay Gandhi hospital for further treatment.

Three officials of the NDMC have been suspended and the owners of the Mundka complex-- Manish Lakra, Harish Goyal and Varun Goyal were sent to one-day police custody on May 17.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government run by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the MCD run by the BJP have engaged in a tussle over the incident, both holding the other party responsible for the tragedy. The AAP has also alleged that the BJP has links to owner Manish Lakra, and had even ran their election campaign from the building there in 2015.