7 years after fire tragedy, Bengaluru's Carlton Towers reopens

Seven years ago,  a fire accident at the Carlton Towers on old airport road, Bengaluru, took away nine lives and left over 60 people injured.  After being revamped and passing several tests, the seven storeyed complex have received the green signal to reopen.

While a Non-objection Certificate was given by the BBMP last year itself, the Carlton Towers Association was awaiting the occupancy certificate - which was finally issued on June 15 after several detailed fire audits. 

N.R. Markandeya, Deputy Director, Fire Prevention, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, told The Hindu that the fire audit has been completed and all required safety measures have been put in place. "We have cleared the building after the audit," he said.

Earlier in 2014, a fire department report had indicated gross safety violations in the towers. 

Shyam Kadarea, who earlier occupied a shop at this tower, has filed a complaint with the fire department seeking action against the Tower Owners' Association.

"Despite the tragedy, the owners have issued an advertisement to occupy the shops at Carlton Towers," he said. "Before obtaining the necessary documents ensuring safety, such an advertisement is wrong."

Another shop owner, Rafeeq-ur-Rehman said, "If steps are taken by concerned authorities, justice will be done to victims of Carlton Tower fire tragedy."

However, by providing the occupancy certificate and NOC, the BBMP has assured the public that the building is safe to occupy and all safety measures are in place.

Enquiries for occupying the building have already come in. While refurnishing and other interiors are yet to be worked on, owners say that they will begin this process once they finalise on occupants.

While the formal inauguration is scheduled to take place at the end of this month or the beginning of July, the exact date has not been decided on yet.

"The date is yet to be decided, but we will organise a formal relaunch to tell people that the building is ready and safe for reoccupation," said Giriraj Sadashiva, former president of the Carlton Towers Owners Association, to The Hindu.

The tragedy had left a mark in the lives of many in the city. During the fire, people were seen breaking open windows and jumping out of the building to escape from being choked by the smoke. However, with the reassurance from the officials, an occurrence of this sort should not take place again.

• carlton towers
• bengaluru
• fire accident
• BBMP