Their temporary houses in a new city they had been calling home for the last three years stand singed. But with no hope of government help, residents of the slums in Gurgaon’s Sector 103, where a fire broke out on Wednesday and gutted over 40 jhuggis (slum hutments), have begun rebuilding their homes – but not without complaints.
Mizanur Islam, 35, whose daughter is unwell with a brain tumour, said the fire tenders were delayed. “They came an hour late,” he said. The fire burnt the expensive medicines Islam had purchased for his daughter after saving Rs 12,000 a month. “She has a brain tumour. It was for her that we moved here. Now we have to return to giving her local medicine, and are left with nothing. We have no hope of relief from anyone, especially the government,” he said.
“We will have to pay back the contractor for the new houses, he will cut from our pay,” Islam said, placing a bamboo pole in the ground. A plastic sheet will be wrapped over the poles.
It was at around 3 am on Wednesday that the fire broke out in the slums, largely housing Bengali Muslim migrants, next to Delhi Public School (Dwarka Expressway). Firemen reached after receiving an alert at 3.50 am, and the blaze was extinguished by 7 am.
“Around 40 jhuggis and loads of garbage got destroyed. We managed to save over 100 more from being burned. Ten fire tenders were requisitioned, mostly from Bhim Nagar Station and others from Manesar and Pataudi stations; hence, the fire was brought under control swiftly,” Fire Safety Officer Narender Yadav claimed. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The slum’s residents, all garbage pickers and cleaners for the societies around them, say they are from Assam’s South-Salmara Mankachar district.
“We were sleeping when the fire started. Nothing in our home survived,” Khalid Ali, 17, said, playing with other kids.
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The fire spread quickly through the densely packed shanties, and its exact cause is not yet known, fire officials said.
Meanwhile, the smouldering embers at the Bandhwari landfill in the Gurgaon-Faridabad border are expected to be fully extinguished on Friday.
“Two fire tenders will be stationed there permanently this week, till the smoke goes. And one tender permanently thereafter,” Jai Narayan, Fire Safety Officer, said.
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