No Home, No Hope: Survivors of Gokulpuri Fire Stare at a Bleak Future

Video Producer: Varsha Rani

Video Editor: Rajbir Singh

On 13 March, a fire broke out in the shanties of Gokulpuri, killing at least seven people and leaving many injured. The houses here have been reduced to ashes, and the residents have now been shifted to a relief camp nearby. However, there's no end to their woes.

I spoke to the victims of the mishap about the help being provided to them and the losses they've suffered.

Sumanjeet, a resident of Gokulpuri who lost two of her children, said, "When the fire broke out, we were all sleeping. We were unable to process it when it happened and tried to leave our houses as soon as we could. Two of our children got trapped inside. By the time we realised that, it was too late. We tried our best, but couldn’t enter the burning house. All the houses were burnt and we lost our children."

She added that the fire broke out around midnight but the firemen and all the fire extinguishing equipment came after 2 am.

"Had they (the firemen) come on time, things might have ended differently. All our savings turned into ashes. We had built our houses with so much hope and hard work, but there's nothing left now."

Sumanjeet, Resident

Another resident, Raveena, lost five of her family members. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition.

My elder brother Babloo, my younger brother Ranjeet, my sister-in-law Priyanka, who was also 3-4 months pregnant, my sister Reshma, and my nephew Shehenshah, all burned to death. I lost five family members. All our hopes and dreams have been shattered. There is nothing left for us. My mother who ran to the house to save my brother got severely burnt. My father also suffered burns.

Raveena, Resident

'Is Rs 25,000 Enough for Our Loss?'

Many of these victims who have lost their families, houses, and their savings say that the monetary compensation won't cater to their needs.

"Nobody is listening to us and they're all saying that we have received a compensation of Rs 25,000 because our shanties were gutted. But is Rs 25,000 enough for our loss? We lost everything. My daughter was supposed to get married on 18 March. All the money and the jewellery we had kept aside are lost. We don't have any other house or any village to go to. Our forefathers lived here and this is the only place we had."

Resident, Gokulpuri

The residents of Gokulpuri request the government to help them put a roof over their heads.

"For how long are we going to survive like this? For how long will we have to burn like this? How many more lives of children will be lost? We're just surviving here with whatever is being provided to us," said a resident.

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