Ignoring clear warnings issued after the Goa nightclub fire tragedy, the BJP government has once again failed to act, with the consequences now unfolding in the national capital. A massive fire at the Meraki Banquet Hall in Delhi's Adarsh Nagar left at least five people seriously injured, underscoring what the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared as a systemic collapse of safety enforcement, said AAP in its release.

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According to the Aam Aadmi Party, Senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi and LoP in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Ankush Narang, held the BJP government responsible, calling the incident a result of blatant disregard for safety norms and administrative negligence, and demanded strict action against those responsible. In a post on X, Delhi Assembly LoP Atishi stated, "This is not merely an accident. It is the result of an open disregard for safety norms and clear administrative negligence. Strict action must be taken against those responsible."

The Aam Aadmi Party said that the Delhi Assembly LoP said that just a month ago, a massive fire broke out at the Arpora nightclub in Goa due to similar administrative negligence, in which several people lost their lives. She said that after the Goa tragedy, AAP's MCD LoP Ankush Narang had written to the Mayor, urging that safety standards be strengthened. Along with this, several AAP leaders had warned the BJP government to learn lessons from the Goa nightclub fire incident. Despite these warnings, the BJP government took no steps to strengthen safety norms. The massive fire at the banquet hall in Adarsh Nagar is a direct consequence of this inaction.

AAP Demands High-Level Inquiry

Meanwhile, MCD LoP Ankush Narang said in a post on X that the fire incident at a banquet hall in Adarsh Nagar on Saturday is extremely serious and alarming. He stated, "This is not just a fire incident, but the outcome of a corrupt system, collusive violation of rules, and inspections carried out merely as a formality. There must be a judicial or high-level inquiry into the department responsible for this incident. The role of those who issued the fire NOC must also be investigated, and legal action must be taken against the guilty. I had also written to the MCD Mayor and Commissioner, urging strict enforcement of fire safety norms."

Specific Demands for Fire Safety Enforcement

Ankush Narang had written a letter to the MCD Mayor and Commissioner Through his letter, Ankush Narang had demanded that an immediate audit of fire NOCs be conducted across Delhi, that immediate action be taken against establishments operating without NOCs, that a safety compliance report be made public within 15 days, that sealing or penalty action be initiated against illegal establishments, and that a joint licensing task force of the MCD and Delhi Fire Service be constituted.

Ankush Narang said the Goa nightclub fire was a serious warning for the civic body. He had stated that the condition of fire NOCs in Delhi is frightening. Out of more than 1,000 hotels, clubs, and bars in the city, only 90 have valid NOCs. As many as 132 banquet halls are operating without NOCs, putting Delhi's population of two crore at risk. He warned that if strict steps are not taken in time, a tragedy like the Goa incident could be repeated in Delhi on any given day. (ANI)