Fire at Dastkar’s Nature Bazaar leaves artisans with heavy losses

A fire at Nature Bazaar in Delhi damaged 42 stalls, causing heavy losses for artisans. Dastkar plans a fundraiser to support affected sellers.

A day after a massive fire engulfed 42 stallsat the Nature Bazaar run by Dastkar in south Delhi, the managers of the event said on Monday that artisans have sustained heavy losses in the fire.

Sixteen fire tenders were rushed to douse the flames that engulfed stalls at the Nature Bazaar in Mehrauli on Sunday morning. Most stalls had stocks of highly flammable items such as carpets, saris, shawls and other handloom materials, the organisers said. (HT Photo)

An official at Dastkar said losses could be assessed in about 26 stalls selling pashmina shawls, scarves and papier-mâché products from Jammu and Kashmir; kantha work from West Bengal; konna grass products from Manipur; bagru print products from Rajasthan; Lambani embroidery garments from Karnataka; and carpets from Afghanistan.

Speaking to HT, Manzoor Khan, 36, a resident of Lajpat Nagar who sold pashmina shawls and scarves, said their products were not insured. “These were temporary structures and our products there were not insured. All my stock was at the stall because of a bonanza sale which goes on till April. No one purchases shawls beyond that month,” he said.

Artisan Chand Mohammed, a 42-year-old resident of Burari who hails from West Bengal, said he suffered losses worth lakhs and is now struggling to pay artisans back in his village. “One sari costs around ₹18,000 and a dupatta around ₹8,000. It takes months for our artisans to produce the kantha work. How do we pay them?” he said.

Khan said the Dastkar team is planning a fund-raiser for artisans like him who incurred losses.

Dastkar officials said a forensic team visited the spot for a detailed inspection but the cause of the fire could not yet be ascertained. “We have checked the CCTV footage also and in it, everything seems normal,” the official said.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), the department received a call about the fire at 7.37am from Ambedkar Colony, at the Nature Bazaar complex in Mehrauli. Sixteen fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames that had engulfed 42 stallswhich had stocks of highly flammable items such as carpets, saris, shawls and other handloom materials. The fire was contained by 9am, the DFS said, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

“The Dastkar team is working round the clock to mitigate the situation, secure the safety of the remaining stalls and site, as well as make payments to the participant artisans for their sales. The remaining two days of the ongoing bazaar stand cancelled. Dastkar will do whatever we can to alleviate the losses and distress of the affected crafts groups,” the team said in a statement on Sunday.