New Delhi: Noting that it can’t pass orders on such an “omnibus” plea, Delhi High Court Wednesday sent to the MCD a PIL seeking to identify and remove hazardous cage-like iron grille enclosures and illegal projections in residential buildings that allegedly obstruct evacuation and rescue during emergencies.“It is like demanding to remove poverty from India. We can’t hear such an omnibus prayer. You have to give specific examples in your petition,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the petitioner.It asked the MCDi commissioner to take an informed decision on a representation already pending with it, sent by the same petitioner earlier.Petitioner Ashish Jain submitted that repeated residential fire tragedies in Delhi have exposed a serious safety concern, with the loss of life not only because of the fire but also because of smoke-filled buildings, enclosed balconies, iron grilles and blocked escape routes preventing timely rescue.The plea cites several fire tragedies, including the Vivek Vihar blaze on May 3, in which nine people died after being trapped inside a residential building filled with flames and smoke, and the Palam fire in March that killed nine members of a family.
