New Delhi: Three months after a fire engulfed a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) facility in Hauz Rani, killing 23 people including 14 foreign nationals, residents are slowly getting accustomed to the absence of foreign faces on their streets.Once brimming with relatives of medical tourists who arrived from various nations to receive treatment in nearby hospitals, the area has quieted down in the past few months with memories of the deadly fire at Flourish Stays B&B.“They (foreign nationals) would keep visiting my shop to buy bottled water or soft drinks. Now, I only see familiar faces and local residents,” said Sameer Kumar, who owns a tea shop.For businesses, the area is returning to much-awaited normalcy. Local hero Arman Mansuri, who sits in a little shack just a few metres from the charred building, said for the first time in months, he has enough work to keep him occupied through the afternoon.On June 3, Arman and his father, Riyazuddin Mansuri, had stacked mattresses from their shop under the burning building to save people jumping from their rooms to escape the blaze. “At that moment, we had no time to think. I started piling mattresses without a thought,” said Arman. They recovered the loss incurred in two days as people started to send money online as a token of appreciation.The Mansuris’ mattress shop was one of many affected by the reduced footfall in Hauz Rani market after the fire.“A shopkeeper cannot idle at home. We opened our shop every day even though no one came to buy from us,” said a worker at a hardware store in the area.One side of the street was cordoned off by police using barricades to stop people from entering the accident site. The barricades were removed on Monday and sales have increased since, he told TOI.“I pray for everything to become normal again,” said the owner of an electronics shop, who has lived in Hauz Rani for more than 40 years.However, tenants have become slightly wary of living in the area. During a spot visit, a building located opposite the B&B was found deserted, all its flats locked from the outside. According to a passerby, “Everyone in the building left due to the smoke from the accident. No one has returned to live here since.”Autorickshaws rush past the narrow lane, once a frequent stoppage point, where several homestays and B&Bs are located. Following the fire, all such establishments were sealed by police. “When everything is closed, who will want to come here?” said Musharat Ali, an auto driver.Hauz Rani was favoured by medical tourists for its budget friendly accommodation options. B&B norms specify a maximum of six rooms with double beds. The establishment that caught fire had 25 rooms illegally operating across four floors, a basement and an improvised rooftop facility. It flouted several other norms, including illegal expansion of property and absence of a fire no-objection certificate, and also had no emergency fire exit.The chargesheet filed by Delhi Police named Lovkesh Bajaj, owner of the B&B, manager-cum-accountant Jay Mishra and cook Keshar Negi as the accused in the case.
