Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the fire at a godown in Bapujinagar where inflammable isopropyl alcohol and other chemicals were being stored. Civic agencies will come under scrutiny as the probe will ascertain whether there were lapses on the part of officials who were responsible for allowing the owners to store inflammable material in a residential area illegally.
The husband and wife of Rekha Chemicals, who owned the godown, and their son have been arrested. It took more than 200 fire services personnel over eight hours to bring the blaze under control after the godown caught fire on Tuesday morning.
The Home Minister, who visited the site, has directed the police to check for units running illegally in their respective jurisdiction.
As of Wednesday evening, power had not been restored.
Compensation
The families, who were evacuated, returned to collect the belongings that they could salvage. Many are staying with relatives and friends and are worried about how they would be compensated. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad, who also visited the spot, said the losses incurred would be recovered from the accused. He said the BBMP would also submit a report to the government suggesting compensation to owners of private properties possibly under a provision in the Disaster Management Act.
