Two killed, four injured in Bawana factory blast

NEW DELHI:   As many as two workers were killed while four others were injured, of them two critically, in an explosion that occurred in a factory in north Delhi’s Bawana area on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Harveer and Ashok, both natives of district Etah in Uttar Pradesh while the injured were named as Sanjeev, Sonu, Usha and Bhanu.

According to a Delhi Police official, a PCR call was received at Bawana police station at 4:43 pm regarding a fire at a factory in Sector 3, Bawana in which a few people were trapped. The Delhi Fire Service also received a call about the incident after which six fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told this newspaper that a blast occurred during the plastic granules made from cigarette lighter scrap.

“There was no fire in the factory,” he said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said the injured workers were shifted to MV Hospital where two people were declared dead by the doctors. The DCP said that the factory buys empty plastic cigarette lighters and grinds them to pieces.

“Today while grinding those lighters, a blast occurred which resulted in heavy damage to the structure of the building, injury and casualty,” the DCP said.

The official further informed that the factory was being run by a person named Mukesh and an FIR is being registered against him. Every year, the Delhi Fire Service provides an NOC to around 50-70 factories; however, several stay off the radar. A fire department official told this newspaper that they do not directly deal with the public to provide a NOC.

“We are not a licensing authority to do that. It is the duty of the building authority or the civic agency to refer the case to us before permitting or giving a license to a building or even a factory,” the official said.

It is pertinent to mention that most of the buildings where such incidents occur lack fire safety standards and NOC. An NOC certifies fire safety.