Bottles of empty perfume and room freshener lay scattered around the area on Monday (February 19), a day after a fire in the scrap facility in Ramsandra in Kumbalgodu killed three and injured many others.
Vishwanath’s house, which is adjacent to the unit, was also severely damaged. The walls and windows of the house were burnt, and so were a TV set, fridge, sofa, dining table, water purifier, and cooking items, including groceries. The water tank, solar water heater, and plants on the terrace were also charred, and Mr. Vishwanath pegged the loss at over ₹5 lahks.
Four neighbouring houses were also damaged. Cars parked in front of Manjunath’s house were destroyed. So too, an autorickshaw full of perfume bottles and other vehicles were also burnt in the incident.
Residents warned unit
While residents around the unit pick up the pieces, investigating agencies and the residents realised after the tragedy that the unit was being run illegally without obtaining permission from the local village panchayat or any other administrative bodies.
“They came on rent a month ago and started sorting empty perfume, room freshener and deodorant bottles and other miscellaneous items for the last four days. It was an illegal junk shop and had no licence from any authorities. As the odour increased, we warned them to stop work and threatened to complain to the police. However, they said they would clear all this within two days. By then, the incident happened,” a local resident said.
Nagaratna, Mr. Vishwanath’s wife, recalled the horrific incident: “A fire broke out in junk shop around 4.50 p.m. on Sunday. As we watched, the bottles started exploding and the flames and smoke spread everywhere. We all ran out of the house and the fire flared up. Our house now needs to be completely renovated and we are staying at our relatives’ house now. The village panchayat has asked us to submit the list of losses, but we don’t know how well we will be compensated.”
Boraiah, a resident close to the unit, said those those working in the unit kept to themselves. “They had come and settled in this house a month ago. So no one knew much about them. After the fire accident on Sunday evening, the exploded bottles fuelled the flames. Exploded bottles are scattered all over the road and on the houses. The body of the scooters parked inside the compound have also melted due to the flames,” he said.
Survey of illegal units
The village panchayat has now ordered a survey to identify such illegal units. Speaking to The Hindu, S.G., Member of Sulikere village panchayat said, “The site belonged to Vitthala, a resident of Chikkabasti, who had rented it out a month ago. Due to the city areas being overcrowded, it is common for some people to open shops and such businesses on the outskirts of the city illegally. Such units do not have any precautionary measures, including fire safety. We have ordered the Panchyat Development Officer (PDO) to conduct a survey to identify illegal units and shops. After the survey, if any such unauthorized shops or units are found, we will immediately close them and legal action will also be taken against the owners.”
Mamata, PDO of Sulikere village panchyat, added that no licence was obtained from the village panchayat by the unit in question. “Neighbouring houses were damaged in the incident and we have requested them to submit a list of losess. After getting the information, a report will be submitted to the district administration for financial assistance and the survey will be started soon in our jurisdiction to identify illegal units. Appropriate action will be taken if unauthorized shops are found,” she said.
