Shamiya Chaudhary, a Bangladeshi national and survivor of the Malviya Nagar fire, has raised concerns regarding a payment of ₹1.8 lakh for transporting mortal remains to Bangladesh, despite an initial promise of free repatriation by the government.

Chaudhary told ANI that her family was informed the government would cover the transportation costs. She stated, “The government had promised to transport the body to Bangladesh free of charge, but that did not happen. Instead, they charged us 1,80,000 rupees at the embassy. I want to know why it was not done for free. I do not know if we will get the money back or not, but I want to know why they demanded payment from us.”

She added that she has received some of her belongings through the police, though several items remain missing. She recalled, “Yes, I received my belongings through the police. I am very happy about that, although some items are still missing, while the rest have been recovered. I was on the third floor, in room number 302, and there were five of us. The fire broke out at 8 am. I thought I would not survive-that I was going to die. I felt like this was the end; I thought I would not be in this world anymore. It is hard to put into words.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta paid tribute to the victims of the Malviya Nagar fire and the Saidulajab building collapse during a solemn programme at the Delhi Secretariat on Friday.

During the event, courageous citizens, police personnel, administrative officials, and rescue workers who risked their lives to save others were honoured with commendation certificates and cheques of ₹21,000 each, according to a release from the Delhi CMO.

The ceremony was attended by Malviya Nagar MLA Satish Upadhyay and Chhatarpur MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar as distinguished guests. Chief Minister Gupta specially recognised Riyazuddin Mansoori for his exceptional courage in the Hauz Rani fire, noting his act of laying mattresses which helped save several lives. She assured reimbursement of the mattress costs and presented Mansoori with a cheque of ₹21,000 as encouragement.