New Delhi:
A devastating fire that tore through a three-storey building in Lucknow‘s Aliganj area today, killing 15 people and injuring several others, has triggered a probe into alleged violations in the construction and use of the property. Authorities are now investigating how a structure approved as a residential building came to house commercial shops and educational facilities.
Officials said the building on Usha Mehta Marg in north Lucknow, where the fire broke out on a busy Monday afternoon, had originally been sanctioned as a residential property. According to records of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and house tax documents of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, the building’s map was approved as a house and not as a commercial establishment.
Investigators have found that the property, owned by brothers Virendra Prasad Shukla, Surendra Shukla and Dhirendra Shukla, was allegedly converted into a commercial complex despite receiving approval for residential use. Authorities said the conversion is believed to have taken place in 2014.
The fire, whose cause has not yet been established, trapped dozens of people inside the building, many of them students attending classes at an animation centre operating on the premises. Most of the victims were on the second floor when the blaze spread through the structure.
Preliminary findings have pointed to a series of safety failures that may have contributed to the scale of the disaster.
Investigators said the building did not have an emergency exit. The route leading to the roof was also reportedly blocked, preventing people from escaping as smoke and flames spread through the structure.
Officials have also identified problems with the building’s main entrance system. According to the inquiry, access to the office operated through a thumb-impression mechanism. When the fire broke out, the electronic system reportedly stopped functioning and the automatic lock became jammed, leaving people trapped inside.
The property was originally allotted through a lottery in 1980. A sale deed was executed in 2005 in favour of Vijay Kumar and Usha, before the building was sold in 2013 to Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla. The Lucknow Development Authority subsequently transferred the title to the new owners on August 7, 2014.
The building, spread over 1,992 square feet, received approval for a residential map on August 20, 2014. However, authorities later initiated proceedings in 2016 alleging unauthorised construction on the premises. Then a demolition order was issued on May 10, 2016. That order was subsequently rescinded on July 5, 2016, after it was found that the owners had not been granted a hearing and had argued that the construction had been carried out in accordance with the approved building plan.
A complaint has been lodged at Aliganj Police Station and further investigations are underway.
