Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday ordered an inquiry to find out the reasons for the major fire mishap at Gulzar Houz, to ensure that such incidents will not recur in the future. Asking officials to educate and alert people on how to take preventive measures, Revanth Reddy said that the spontaneous response from the fire staff had saved the lives of 40 people.
Earlier in the day, Revanth Reddy expressed deep shock over the fire accident and dispatched ministers to the accident site and hospitals to take stock of the situation. He directed officials to take all necessary measures to rescue those trapped and provide medical assistance to the injured. He spoke with Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, incharge of Hyderabad district, over the phone and ordered the intensification of all possible relief and rescue operations to save precious lives.
Prabhakar later said that the Chief Minister had spoken with some of the survivors.
He also inquired about the steps being taken with senior officials from the police and fire services and asked the Director General of Disaster Management and Fire Services, Y. Nagi Reddy, to closely monitor the relief operations.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge phoned Revanth Reddy to inquire about the details of the accident. The Chief Minister informed him about the rescue and relief operations being carried out by various government agencies on a war footing. He also mentioned that a group of ministers had been rushed to closely inspect the situation and extend all possible relief.
The state government announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the 17 victims who died in the mishap at Gulzar Houz.
Following the Chief Minister’s instructions, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka rushed to Hyderabad from his hometown, Madhira in Khammam. Along with health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha and Ponnam Prabhakar, he reviewed the fire and relief operations with police commissioner C.V. Anand, GHMC commissioner R.V. Karnan, and fire DG Nagi Reddy.
According to a briefing that officials gave to the ministers, the fire department received a call about the incident at 6.16 am, and the first fire vehicle from the nearby Moghalpura fire station arrived at the spot within four minutes by 6.20 am. Twelve vehicles were engaged in dousing the flames and rescuing victims, including 11 fire engines and a firefighting robot. Rescue operations were conducted by 17 senior fire officers and 70 fire personnel, who managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, despite the accident occurring in a narrow lane.
Minister Prabhakar interacted with the families affected by the fire and assured them of full government support. He ruled out any conspiracy, stating that the mishap occurred due to a short circuit. He dismissed opposition allegations of delay in the relief and rescue efforts by government agencies and advised them not to politicise such ghastly incidents.
Providing details about the victims, Prabhakar said that four joint families were affected by the mishap. Due to holidays, children had come to Hyderabad, which sadly resulted in a greater loss of life.
Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar expressed dismay over the fire mishap and said that the loss of children and women in the accident was deeply painful. He extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
