Ghaziabad Development Authority officials said that slums easily catch fire during the summer season.
Samrat Roy
A massive fire had gutted around 100 shanties in a slum near Ahinsa Khand 2 in Indirapuram on April 3. In the wake of the devastation wrought, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has planned some initiatives to prevent such mishaps in the future.
According to officials, the possibility of such fires increase in the summer season.
A survey conducted by the Ghaziabad police, revealed that there are around 7,500 shanties in various pockets of Indirapuram, Vasundhara, Kaushambi and Vaishali of Trans Hindon Area. The fire in the Kanauni slum in Indirapuram was aggravated by gas cylinders stored by the occupants of the shanties.
A meeting of officials, local councilors and residents was also conducted in this regard on Friday.
“We have decided to find out the details of the land where the shanties are located. Relocation of such a huge population is not possible. We will find the people who are actually running the slums so that action can be initiated against them. Further, we will ask the police to check for illegal gas vendors and welding shops so as to stop their operations. Apart from this, we will also ask the police to be on the lookout for anti-social elements who might be lurking in the slums. Such activities can help in avoiding mishaps like the recent slum fire,” said VK Singh, OSD (officer on special duty) of GDA.
