Rajasthan High Court: While taking suo motu cognizance of massive fire on Jaipur-Ajmer-Kishangarh-Bhankrota Highway to find out the solutions to overcome such unfortunate incidents of fire at public places in the interest of public at large, a single-judge bench of Anoop Kumar Dhand, J., issued notice to the respondents as to why the directions related to urgent need for coordinated government actions to prevent such tragedies, including strict law enforcement, improved infrastructure, and public safety measures, should not be issued against them.
In the instant matter, a massive fire occurred at the Jaipur-Ajmer-Kishangarh-Bhankrota Highway when a truck collided with an LPG tanker attempting a U-turn near Delhi Public School (a known black spot). The collision led to explosions, destruction over an 800-meter radius, and casualties, including more than a dozen deaths and severe injuries. The fire destroyed dozens of vehicles and caused widespread panic, shutting down local institutions and altering road routes.
“Over the past years, many regions of the country are experiencing an increase of extremely large and severe fire. Such fires directly impacted lives, human health, safety, livelihood, etc. They cause loss of bio-diversity and site degradation at landscape level leading to desertification. The depletion of terrestrial carbon by fires burning under extreme conditions in some vegetation types, including organic terrain in peatland biomes, is a major contribution to global climatic change.”
The Court noted that the recurrence of severe fire incidents in India is linked to improper disaster management, road safety inadequacies, and hazardous transportation practices. The Court stated that historical precedents like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984) and Sitapura fire (2009) demonstrate systemic issues in handling chemical/LPG disasters.
The Court noted that there are relevant provisions on Chemical and LPG disaster management, such as Explosive Act, 1884; Petroleum Act, 1934; Environment Protection Act, 1986 and Disaster Management Act, 2005, which prevail in the Country. The Court noted that the Disaster Management Act, 2005 requires districts to have comprehensive disaster management plans, but many districts in Rajasthan lack these plans. The Court stated that the absence of effective implementation of disaster management plans in many districts despite availability of legal mandates also lead to such incidents.
The Court stated that delays in completing critical infrastructure projects, such as bridges and overpasses, exacerbate public safety risks. The Court stated that road safety measures, including addressing black spots and U-turns, remain inadequate in the State of Rajasthan.
The Court issued notice to the respondents, and sought reply as to why these directions be not issued against them —
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Conduct a thorough enquiry into administrative lapses and negligence leading to the incident.
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Award adequate compensation to victims and their families.
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Relocate hazardous factories and godowns away from densely populated areas.
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Enforce strict compliance with safety laws and disaster management protocols.
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Expedite construction of bridges and overpasses with strict timelines, holding responsible parties accountable for delays.
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Develop and implement policies to segregate vehicles carrying hazardous materials from general traffic.
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Identify black spots and install preventive measures like danger alarms on highways.
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Take immediate actions, directed the Central Government to announce compensation for victims and form a six-member committee to investigate the incident.
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Report on measures taken to prevent similar incidents.
The Court listed the matter for further consideration on 10-01-2025.
[In the matter of Massive Fire Broke out at Jaipur-Ajmer-Kishangarh-Bhankrota Highway: In Re, 2024 SCC OnLine Raj 3487, Decided on 21-12-2024]
