Gas cylinder leak sparks blaze, 35 shanties gutted

Gurgaon: A fire broke out in a slum behind Belvedere Tower at Nathupur on Thursday morning, destroying most of it within a couple of hours. Of the 35 shanties, only one remained intact by the time the firemen brought it under control after a two-hour operation.
The fire has left around 140 persons homeless but no one has been injured. A gas cylinder leak led to the fire, according to officials.

Around 35 families, originally from West Bengal, were living in the slum. At the time, most of the adult residents had already left for work in the nearby upscale residential societies.

Amjal Sheikh, an 11-year old resident, first saw the fire and raised an alarm. “I had stepped out to get a candy and saw the flames. I ran from one shanty to another and alerted all the children.”

Ajmal’s efforts saved the lives of around 30 kids before firefighters managed to reach the spot through the narrow lanes which lead up to the slum. In fact, there are no proper roads and only a muddy pathway to the slum.

Three fire tenders were dispatched to the spot and sprinkled water on the shanties for two hours before the fire was completely doused. Fire officer IS Kashyap said, “The fire was from a gas cylinder leak. It spread quickly because there were many polythene bags lying around in the slum.”

Most of the slum residents had migrated to the city from West Bengal only a year ago. All that remains of their shanties now are charred utensils, water bottles, clothes. A resident, Yasmin Biwi, told TOI that she had lost Rs 95,000 in the fire. “I had saved the money for my daughter’s wedding which is supposed to take place next week. Over the past two years, I have worked for more than 15 hours on a daily basis to save the money. Now, who will compensate me?” she asked.

Like Biwi, TOI found many residents looking into the charred remains and trying to dig out paper notes.

One of them, Renu was carefully picking out everything she could find in the rubble. “I don’t know how I will survive now. I don’t have a bank account and have lost all my money in the fire,” said the 20-year-old woman who works as a domestic help to earn her living.

A few metres away, Afzal Sheikh was searching for his belongings at the spot where his shanty once stood. “For me, money is not that important but I need to get my Aadhaar card. I hope I can find it soon. I had to gather all my documents and stand in long queues in offices for nearly two months before I could get an identity proof and now, it’s gone. I don’t even remember my Aadhaar number,” he said.

Some residents said that no one from the administration had come to help them. Shabir Ali, who works as a labourer, said, “I have heard that when such an incident happens, politicians arrive and victims are compensated but no one has come here.”

The only shanty which remained standing belongs to Takir Biwi. “I am thankful that my shanty was not burnt. However, many people have been left homeless and I don’t know how many people I can accomodate here but I will surely help everyone,” she said.