MP CM Mohan Yadav meets kin of Indore fire incident victims

Indore, March 19 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on Thursday, visited the families of the victims of the fire incident that occurred in Indore where eight people, including two children, had died, government officials said.

Taking to his official X account, Chief Minister Yadav said: "The incident that occurred in the Pugalia family in the colony located at the Bengali Square in Indore is heart-wrenching. I met with the family members today. We all share the pain of the mountain of sorrow that has befallen the Pugalia family. I pray to the Almighty to grant place at his sacred feet to all the departed souls and bestow upon the family the strength to recover from this profound grief. An investigation into this incident is underway. To prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, discussions will be held with experts, and necessary steps will be taken."

During the visit, the Chief Minister met Saurabh, the eldest son of the deceased, Manoj Pugalia (one of the victims) and offered his condolences and words of comfort to the bereaved family.

Saurabh told Chief Minister Yadav that the fire in their home was not caused by the vehicle charging process itself, but by a short circuit at an electric pole.

The car caught fire first, followed by the motorcycle parked inside the house.

Saurabh also alleged that the fire department failed to arrive on time.

He remarked that if the fire-fighting vehicles arrived on time, some human lives could have been saved.

He also said that water tankers were empty, and one tanker driver even mistakenly entered a different lane.

Speaking to the media after meeting with the bereaved family, the Chief Minister described the incident as "extremely tragic" and said that the state government has already ordered an inquiry into the matter.

Chief Minister Yadav noted that the state government is actively working on measures to enhance the safety of EV charging systems and residential electric locking mechanisms, ensuring that people remain safe in the event of a malfunction.

Officials have also conducted an inspection of the accident site.

"I have also viewed the video footage of the incident. To prevent the recurrence of such accidents in the future, we will hold consultations with institutions such as the IIT, among others," the Chief Minister said.

Eight people, including two minors, were killed in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Wednesday after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey residential building following an explosion in an electric car that was being charged outside the premises.

According to the police, the deceased were identified as Tanmay (7), Rashi Sethia (12), Simran Pugalia (30), Tinu (35), Suman Sethia (60), Vijay Sethia (65), Chhotu Sethia (22) and house owner Manoj Pugalia (65).

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister, Kailash Vijayvargiya, an MLA from Indore, had also visited the spot on Wednesday and termed the incident alarming, given that the society is heading towards the use of electric vehicles.

Vijayvargiya had said that Indore district administration has been directed to conduct a detailed investigation by a committee of experts to prevent a recurrence of this incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia for the victims' families of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF to the families of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured victims.

--IANS

pd/khz