Man, 50, killed in Delhi blaze

A 50-year-old man was killed in a blaze which gutted more than 30 shanties here on Sunday, a fire official said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the victim.

Ashok Gupta died when fire erupted in the slum cluster in south Delhi's Begumpur area in Malviya Nagar. Another person, named Makkhan Singh, aged 35, was injured in the fire, the police official said.

"We received a call at about 2.20 a.m. and rushed more than 20 fire tenders to the spot. It took us almost four hours to douse the blaze," a Delhi Fire Service official.

The offical added that an electric short-circuit could be responsible for the fire.

Kejriwal, who along with his deputy Manish Sisodia visited the spot to meet the victim's family, also announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 each for those whose houses got gutted in the fire.

"Those who are injured would be treated free of cost and all possible help would be given by the government. Financial compensation as per government policy would also be given," the Aam Aadmi Party leader said.

The Chief Minister said the Delhi government would deliberate on appropriate steps to ensure such fire incidents do not reoccur.

--IANS

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