NEW DELHI: Shamiya Chaudhary, a survivor of the Malviya Nagar hotel fire and a Bangladeshi national, has alleged that she was initially promised free repatriation of mortal remains to Bangladesh, but was later asked to pay Rs 1.8 lakh at the embassy.Chaudhary told news agency ANI that the family was informed the government would bear the cost of transporting the body. However, she claimed that the assurance was not fulfilled. “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 said. She added that she has received some of her belongings through the police, while several items are still missing “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,” Chaudhary added.Meanwhile, on Friday, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the devastating fire at Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, and the building collapse in Saidulajab, Saket, at a special and solemn programme held at the Delhi Secretariat.On the occasion, the chief minister honoured citizens, police personnel, administrative officials, and rescue workers who risked their lives to save others. They were presented with commendation certificates and cheques of Rs 21,000 each in recognition of their efforts, according to a Delhi CMO release.The death toll in the Malviya Nagar fire incident rose to 23 after one more person succumbed to injuries during treatment, officials said.(With agency inputs)