Fire breaks out at Dastkar bazaar in Chhatarpur, 50 shops gutted

A fire, likely from a short circuit, destroyed dozens of shops at Dastkar Nature Bazaar in Delhi, causing heavy losses but no casualties reported.

A fire, suspected to have erupted after a short circuit, gutted dozens of temporary shops at the Dastkar Nature Bazaar in south Delhi on Sunday, causing heavy losses to shopkeepers as carpets, shawls and other handloom products went up in flames. There were no casualties in the blaze, which took over an hour to subdue, said police.

37 stalls in the permanent ‘Gali-e-Khas’ and five stalls in the ongoing Bonanza Bazaar were destroyed in the fire. (HT Photo)

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), the department received a call about the fire at around 7:37 am from Ambedkar Colony in the Nature Bazaar complex, Mehrauli. “Six fire tenders were initially rushed to the spot soon after. When officials reached the spot, they found that the blaze had spread quickly as several stalls stocked highly flammable items such as carpets, sarees, shawls and other handloom materials,” a DFS official said adding that by 8am, as the fire intensified, 10 fire tenders along with a water tender, a water bowser and two multi-purpose units were also pressed into service.

The fire was eventually contained by around 9am while the cooling operation continued. No casualties were reported in the incident, the official said.

“It took around one and a half hours to control the blaze. No one was found trapped,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP- south) Anant Mittal.

He added that preliminary information from night guards suggested the blaze may have been triggered by a short circuit.

“Exhibition goods such as carpets and home decorative items were gutted in the fire. The exact value of the loss is being assessed,” the officer said.

An official at Dastkar, who requested anonymity, said that the fire broke out around 7am. “There were about 50 shops which have been gutted. The shops primarily had carpets, shawls and clothes from Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, other states in the country and Afghanistan. Five of them were specially set up for the Bonanza event while others are set up all around the year. When the fire broke out, the local mosque announced about it after which locals intervened and did everything in their power but due to the strong wind, it spread like wildfire,” the official said.

The Nature Bazaar, earlier known as Kisan Haat, near Chhatarpur Metro Station, is known for hosting craft exhibitions organised by the crafts promotion body Dastkar, where artisans from across the country sell handmade textiles, carpets and decorative items. On Sunday, an event titled ‘Bonanza - The Bumper Annual Sale’ was underway when the fire erupted, Dastkar managers said. The event, which started on March 6 and was scheduled to end on March 16, has now been cancelled.

Several shopkeepers said they suffered heavy losses as the fire destroyed their entire stock in the stalls.

Navin Kumar, 42, who ran an apparel stall, said, “When I came here, my shop was completely burnt and no stock was left either. Artisans here have suffered a major loss which would run in crores. The government should give some compensation.”

Another stall owner identified as Sunil (single name), 38, said the blaze spread so quickly that there was little time to salvage goods. “We are glad people were not here. The situation would have been worse if it happened at night or in the afternoon with people around. But we have all suffered a major loss. This is my primary source of income. I don’t know what will I do,” he said.

Dastkar, in a statement released on Sunday evening, said that 37 stalls in the permanent “Gali e Khas” and five stalls in the ongoing Bonanza Bazaar were gutted, destroying their goods, infrastructure and equipment.

“The Dastkar team is working to mitigate the situation, secure the remaining stalls and site, and make payments to the participant artisans for their sales. The remaining two days of the ongoing bazaar stand cancelled. Dastkar will take steps to alleviate losses and distress of the affected groups,” the statement read.