October 8th 2023.
Bengaluru: It was a heartbreaking tragedy that unfolded in Attibele, a border town near Bengaluru. On Saturday, a cracker shop went up in flames, claiming the lives of fourteen people. Most of those who lost their lives were poor students who worked during the holidays to support their education. Of the fourteen deceased, six were Class XII and undergraduate students.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived at the scene to inspect the damage and meet the bereaving family members. He expressed his sorrow and offered his condolences to the families. He also shared that most of the victims were students from Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The young boys came from a very poor background and worked on holidays to fund their studies and support their families. The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs five lakhs to each family for their loss. He also assured that the medical expenses of the three injured undergoing treatment in a hospital, will be taken care of by the government.
A CID inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the fire. It is suspected that the fire may have been caused due to the carelessness of the licence holder, Ramaswamy Reddy. The chief minister further shared that the licence was renewed on September 13 to sell crackers till October 31 and that no fire safety tools were deployed.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that a policy will be introduced to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. He directed the police and district administration to inspect all the cracker warehouses to ensure fire safety.
Ramaswamy Reddy, who is among the injured, is undergoing treatment. His son has been taken into custody.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other leaders have also expressed their condolences and announced a relief of Rs 3 lakhs to the kin of the deceased. His cabinet colleagues R Sakkarapani and Ma Subramanian have also been deputed to take care of the treatment requirements of the injured and coordinate steps for their transfer to Tamil Nadu.
It was a tragic incident that left many hearts broken. The families of the victims deserve to get justice and the government is doing its best to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
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