JOIN USAs per the government, Delhi Fire Services reported over 650 more cases of fire between April 15 and April 27, compared to the corresponding period last year. Transport Minister Gopal Rai said that was the reason pollution had not abated in the city, despite the rollout of the ambitious car curbs.
Slamming political opponents for trying to fail the odd-even scheme, Rai said 113 cases of fire were reported to the fire services on April 15 this year, which is 66 more than the corresponding day last year.
Similarly, on April 27, 142 cases of fire were reported in 2016, against 61 cases in 2015.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi government-constituted committee looking into causes of fire at landfill sites and Yamuna floodplains in its report said the civic bodies did not do enough to contain rising instances of fire.
The Aam Aadmi Party had accused the BJP of setting fire at various dump yards in the city to sabotage the odd-even scheme.
“Burning observed during the inspection carried out on 05.02.2016, 18.03.2016, 22.03.2016, 21.04.2016 & 23.04.2016,” DPCC member secretary Kulanand Joshi-headed committee said in its report, listing “deficiencies” observed at Bhalswa landfill site.
The report held “generation of methane” due to “decomposition of organic waste” as
the one of causes of fire at the landfill site with 2,150 metric tonnes per day of unprocessed waste.
“No fire tenders stationed at landfill site whereas fire at landfill site is a common phenomenon,” it said.
The four-member committee however, couldn’t ascertain reasons behind fire in the Yamuna floodplains. According to the Transport Minister, three incidents of fire were reported around the same time from “three different places within 3-4 kilometre stretch” near Rajghat.
Delhi government had set up the committee on April 21, after a coordination meeting on the second phase of odd-even scheme.