Transformer had caught fire in the morning too

The transformer at the Uphaar cinema, which caught fire on Friday evening, had caught fire that morning, Delhi police sources said. The fire was, however, put out immediately without causing any damage.

In the evening, the transformer -- which has a capacity of about 630 kilo volt ampere -- was overloaded and burst, the sources said.

Delhi fire service officers blamed the Delhi Electricity Supply Undertaking for installing poor quality transformers at various places in the capital. They did not rule recurrence of such accidents unless adequate precautions are taken.

The owner of another Delhi cinema hall told this reporter that most theatres in the capital did not have any safety norms. ''Pay a bribe to the licensing authorities and they take care of everything,'' he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

While witnesses praised the Delhi police, they were critical of the fire brigade, saying the firemen were not properly equipped to handle a tragedy of this magnitude.

The police said only after the investigation was complete could it be determined whether Uphaar's owners were following the norms set by the Delhi police, the Delhi Vidyut Board and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The inquiry will cover the likelihood of negligence on the part of the cinema management and civic authorities in ensuring safety norms.