Senior journalist Rakesh Kumar Singh says repeated warnings about illegal hotels and guest houses in Malviya Nagar were ignored, calling for accountability and a city-wide review of fire safety compliance after the tragedy
New Delhi: The fatal incident in Malviya Nagar’s Corner Market, which claimed 21 lives, has underscored concerns that had been voiced for years about illegally operating hotels and guest houses in the area. According to senior journalist and former South Delhi Bureau Chief of Dainik Hindustan, Rakesh Kumar Singh, he had repeatedly warned authorities about potential safety hazards and urged action to prevent such a disaster.
According to Singh, during the period when his office was located in Corner Market, Malviya Nagar, he had published several reports highlighting serious violations of safety norms and administrative negligence in illegally operating hotels and guest houses in the area. At the time, he had warned that failure to enforce regulations and address these lapses could eventually lead to a major tragedy.
Unfortunately, the recent fire disaster, which resulted in the loss of 21 lives, has turned those warnings into a grim reality. The incident has once again brought renewed scrutiny to the issues of illegal constructions, non-compliance with safety regulations, and administrative inaction.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Singh said that timely and effective intervention by the authorities could potentially have prevented the loss suffered by so many families. While paying tribute to the victims, he emphasized that journalism extends beyond reporting events and carries the important responsibility of alerting society and the administration to potential dangers before they escalate into disasters.
He further called for an impartial investigation into the incident and demanded strict action against those found responsible. Singh also urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of safety standards across all hotels, guest houses, and commercial establishments operating in the national capital to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated in the future.
