Bengaluru building fire: DK Shivakumar blames illegal buildings, warns of demolition if not strengthened, announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 17 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday blamed the owners of illegal buildings for the fire in Bengaluru's Nagarathpete that killed five people from Rajasthan, saying notices will be issued to such structures with orders to strengthen them or face demolition, while also announcing Rs five lakh compensation for each victim's family.
"It is the fault of the building owner. I am going to issue a notice to everyone. They have to strengthen the building. All buildings here are illegal buildings... If they don't strengthen the buildings, we will have to break all of them. I have instructed the authorities to take strict action here... Five people died here. All were from Rajasthan... The government has announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each... What has happened is very painful," Shivakumar said at the site of the incident.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, who visited the spot with the Deputy CM, said the fire was likely caused by an electrical fault.
"The Fire Department is preliminarily saying that the fire was caused due to a short circuit. We have arrested the owners of these two buildings... No safety guidelines were followed by them. They constructed extra floors without any permission..." the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner told ANI.
The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon in a plastic mat shop in the Nagarathpete area. The deceased were identified as Suresh, Madan, Sangeeta, and two children, Mitesh and Vihaan. Rescue and relief operations are still underway, with visuals showing rescue and relief teams at work.
Earlier, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, who also visited the spot on Saturday, described the tragedy as "an unfortunate incident."
He said, "Around 3.15 pm today, a fire broke out in this building, killing five people... The FSL has collected samples, they will examine it and the investigation is on. Probably, they all belong to one family or two families. It is an unfortunate incident. Five people have died... I will speak to the Chief Minister and see what we can do in terms of compensation, etc."
Meanwhile, Bengaluru witnessed another tragedy on Friday when one person was killed and nine others were injured in a suspected cylinder explosion at Wilson Garden. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, and other senior officials inspected the site.
"An explosion has occurred. At first glance, it is being said that it was a cylinder blast. There is a suspicion that it might have been a cylinder blast. In this building complex, several houses have collapsed. Instructions have been given to repair the houses... A boy named Mubarak has died. There is information that nine people have been injured. Currently, treatment is being given to everyone. A compensation of Rs five lakh has been announced for Mubarak's family. The cost of treatment for the injured will be borne by the government," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.
Police Commissioner Singh added that around seven to eight houses were damaged in the blast, and emergency teams, including bomb detection, fire services, SDRF and forensic experts, were deployed to clear the debris and ensure no one was trapped.
Officials said the exact cause of the blast is under investigation. (ANI)