AAP government to provide Rs 1 crore ex-gratia to family of firefighter who died in line of duty

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the AAP government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the family of “brave firefighter” Praveen Kumar who succumbed to burns after getting injured in the line of duty, an official statement said.

Jain made the announcement during a visit to the family of Kumar, who succumbed to his burn injuries on Wednesday that he had sustained during a fire fighting operation in Narela Industrial Area on October 9.

“Praveen Kumar is a hero of Delhi Fire Service. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the family in these tough times,” Jain said in a statement.

The statement said that Home Minister Jain declared an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to support the family of the martyr. According to the statement, Praveen Kumar had joined the Delhi Fire Service as a fire operator.

After the completion of his training, he was posted at Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) Narela fire station. On October 9, a fire broke out at a paper plate manufacturing unit in Delhi’s Narela Industrial Area.

On attending the distress call, Kumar along with two other firefighters were engaged in a firefighting operation. Unfortunately, the situation went out of control, the rear portion of the building collapsed and resulted in burn injuries to three of these firefighters.

“They were shifted to LNJP hospital for treatment but Kumar succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday. Home Minister Shri Satyendar Jain immediately went to meet the family of the deceased as soon as he heard the news,” the statement said.