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4th

May 2010

To

Shri B.S.YEDDYURAPPA

Chief Minister

Government of Karnataka

Dear Shri Yeddyurappa,

Sub: CARLTON TOWERS FIRE, FEBRUARY 23, 2010 : STATUS OF PROBE

As you are aware, the Carlton Towers fire tragedy on February 23, 2010 has had a huge impact on

the citizens of Bangalore because of the tragic circumstances under which people lost their lives

and were injured. The weeks following the tragedy have revealed lapses and failures on the part of

several individuals, corporate and public authorities.

We represent families of all 9 individuals who passed away in the Carlton Towers fire and some of

the survivors. We have come together as a group ‘Beyond Carlton’ with the primary objectives

being to:

1. Ensure justice is done to all the perpetrators of this horrific tragedy, and

2. To create awareness and education to prevent recurrence of a tragedy like this

Over 2 months

- It has been over 2 months since the tragedy, and we have seen no strong response or action

from any of the authorities.

- The fact is that several were to blame for what happened on February 23, and there were

several factors that led to this preventable tragedy – building violations where fire exits were

sealed, fire alarms that did not go off, safety drills that were not practised, fire engines that came ill

equipped with no water and high rise ladders to reach out to those on higher floors, lack of

management of crowds that led to untrained people shouting out instructions to those trapped,

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some of which resulted in casualties; traffic that was not managed adequately to allow way for

ambulances and fire engines - it is an endless list of things that went wrong.

We Demand Action

We have all been in the dark about what actually happened, relying only on media reports. But it is

only since coming together as members of 'Beyond Carlton' that many of us have begun to piece

together what really transpired that day and how so much of it could have been prevented and how

so many so called public authorities to whom we entrust our safety were responsible for what

happened.

Against this background, we demand:

o Accountability for the Carlton Towers tragedy:

• Ensure that cases are booked against all those who were responsible for the loss of lives and

injuries. Besides builders, many authorities are involved and accountable and they need to

be made responsible for this tragedy

• Ensure that the charge sheet is filed on priority and that speedy justice is provided for all

the victims of the tragedy

• Disbursement of the compensation that you announced to family members of those who

passed away and all the injured in the tragedy. Though the Stephen Court fire in Kolkata

happened a month after Carlton Towers, compensation has already been handed over to all

30 families

• Demand explanation from the Fire and Emergency Services for factual inaccuracies in their

investigation report; we have photo/video evidence and eyewitnesses to refute some claims

made in the said report

o Prevention of future tragedies like Carlton Towers:

• Review and change current the Karnataka Fire Force Act in line with the Delhi Fire Act thereby

empowering the Fire Services to inspect buildings and do fire safety audits.

• Ensure that the Police Notification issued by the Police Commissioner on March 1st

for all

building owners with deadlines, regarding all buildings (four-storied or higher) on compliance

with local fire safety rules is given adequate exposure and publicity and implemented strictly

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• Set up independent committees as has been done in Kolkata (after the Stephen Court fire) to

inspect buildings for fire safety. Results of these inspections must be made public

• Ensure that under the proposed ‘Akrama-Sakrama’ scheme, blanket approval is not given to

buildings that violate fire safety rules

• Bring in greater coordination between the BBMP, Fire Services and Police in preventing and

managing fire disasters. The Carlton Towers tragedy was evidence of lack of coordination that

resulted in more injuries and deaths

• Set up a contact centre to allow the general public to submit complaints against buildings that

violate fire safety norms and endanger the lives of inhabitants

Sir, this has been a very trying and traumatic two months for all of us as we come to terms with

what happened and as we try to understand what went wrong relying only on our own experiences

and media reports.

We know that there were several entities responsible for what happened and demand that justice

is meted out at the earliest. This will also serve to let all concerned in Bangalore and the world

know that strong and decisive action is what the Government and you, the CM, intend to take.

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

All signatories

Beyond Carlton

+91 98451 26275