Hundreds Homeless As Massive Fire Burns Down 80 Delhi Shanties

On the night on March 11, a ferocious fire tore through nearly four acres of the bustling Machhli Mandi slum cluster in Matiala village near Delhi's Uttam Nagar, reducing homes to smouldering ash and charred ruins within hours.

Delhi Police stated that at least 80 shanties were burnt down, leaving hundreds of migrant families - mostly Bihar natives, who work as daily-wage labourers and ragpickers - without any of their possessions. No deaths were reported, but the people face extreme hardship. School children were set to appear for board exams, but their textbooks, uniforms and notebooks have now been burnt to ashes, and mothers have no food or water for their infants.

Thick layers of grey ash blanketed the ground for acres, mixed with the blackened skeletons of bamboo poles, melted tarpaulin sheets, twisted tin roofs and heaps of burnt plastic waste. Some eyewitnesses remember seeing individuals coming in on motorcycles, deliberately setting clusters of shanties ablaze before speeding away.

The Delhi Fire Service rushed 23 tenders to the spot, who continued firefighting through the night, bringing the flames under control only around 3 am on Thursday, with cooling operations ongoing to prevent flare-ups.

District Magistrate Mekala Chaitanya, who visited the site, confirmed that the land has long been under dispute. "The occupants had received an evacuation notice on March 7, making last night the final compliance deadline. Yet the fire struck just hours before," he said. "Investigation is fully underway to determine the exact source. However, I anticipate that many of these ragpickers habitually burn waste at night, and that is how the fire most likely happened. A similar incident was reported at the same spot earlier this month, when eight fire tenders were needed to douse flames after illegal garbage dumping."

Police assisted in safely evacuating all residents. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh confirmed that all inhabitants were moved to safety before the blaze intensified. "The shanties were made of highly flammable material - bamboo, tarpaulin and plastic sheets. Swift action prevented any loss of life," he added.

Rani Devi, a mother of three, said, "My baby had nothing to eat last night - no milk, no rice, no water - nothing. Our clothes, vessels, everything is gone. We sleep on the debris now. Who will help us survive? Should our leaders not visit us like the  local MLA and or CM Rekha Gupta?"  

Sitting on a half-broken, charred van, Rahul Kumar, whose board  exams begin in few days, told NDTV, "All my textbooks, notebooks and uniform were burnt. I studied so hard. Now I have nothing to write with. How can I sit for the exam? My future is finished."

Another resident, 42-year-old Rajesh Paswan, a rag-picker who migrated from Bihar 12 years ago, said, "We work day and night to feed our children. In one night, the fire took everything. We suspect some people deliberately set our homes on fire. We are not criminals, we are poor people trying to live."

AAP leader Ramesh Matitala, who met the families, demanded immediate justice and compensation. "This tragedy on disputed land cannot be brushed aside. These families deserve fair financial compensation, prompt rehabilitation to a safe location, and full accountability. No family should be left to beg on the streets," Matitala declared.