BENGALURU: It’s been 10 years since the horrific fire at Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex on Old Airport Road, claimed nine lives and injured over 70 people but justice is yet to be done for the families of victims. Vasanthi Hariprakash, Member, Executive Council, Beyond Carlton, said, “Court trials have not started, which is unfortunate. Recently we met Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and asked him to look into the case.”
Uday Vijayan, Managing Trustee and president of Beyond Carlton, who lost his son Akhil, said, “It was a terrible loss for us. I still wonder how we are managing without my son. But we in Beyond Carltron don’t want any mother or father to see something happen to their children due to a fire accident. That is why we carry out various fire safety awareness programmes.”
Ashok G V, advocate for Beyond Carlton, said, “In the trial court, the investigation and chargesheet were completed. Nine accused filed petitions for quashing of proceedings under Section 482 of CrPC. The high court disposed of eight cases, but a criminal petition 1803 of 2013 is still pending. The case SC 1164 of 2010, which is before the trial court, has been posted for framing of charges on February 24. After framing of charges, there is a plea and after that, the court will start the trial.”
On Saturday, members of Beyond Carlton held a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. Composer, international performer and filmmaker Dr Prakash Sontakke played ‘Remembrance’ on the slide guitar and Theramin. This was followed by a presentation by Anantha Subramanyam, a senior photojournalist, on a decade of capturing images of a city careless about its safety, titled “Safety or the lack of it“. Sumit Khanna, a fire fighter, shared how each of us should be aware of safety measures during a fire accident and also shared tips on saving oneself and others till the rescue teams arrive at the scene of the accident.