Surat: On the fourth anniversary of Taxila Arcade Fire Hundreds of people came to Sarthana on Wednesday to pay homage to the 22 children killed in the accident. Parents and family members of the 22 deceased students were present on the campus. In the evening, ‘Bhajan Sandhya’ was organized in memory of the victims at Takshashila Arcade.
The parents expressed displeasure over the slow pace of the court case. The 14 arrested accused are now out on bail and statements of 90 witnesses have been recorded in the court.
“Four years later, the case is still going on. Recording of statements of parents has now started in the court,” said Jaysukh Gajera, father of one of the deceased students.
The parents had recently approached the local sessions court to expedite the case but their appeal was rejected. “We will approach the Gujarat High Court with an appeal for a fast-track hearing of the case. We hope that those responsible for the tragedy are punished at the earliest so that such a tragedy does not happen again. The parents are also upset as there has been no progress on the plan of a memorial for the children announced by some elected officials of the SMC. It was announced by SMC officials in Budget But nothing has been done on this front. They can develop a memorial in a few weeks when so many big projects are completed in a few months,” said one of the parents.
On May 24, 2019, 22 young students, including a child, had lost their lives when a fire broke out on the illegally constructed fourth floor of Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana. The students were in a coaching class to prepare for admission to interior design and architecture courses. Most of the students died of smoke inhalation, while some died after jumping from windows.
The fire broke out on the first floor due to spark in the outdoor unit of AC. The fire broke out in an outdoor unit of the AC, a flex banner caught fire, which spread to the upper floors. The fire spread quickly due to highly flammable materials such as car tires and wooden desks kept in the building. A wooden staircase connecting the fourth floor to the rest of the building also caught fire, leaving students unable to exit.
In all, 14 people have been arrested, including officials of Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES), Surat Municipal Corporation and Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited, and the developers of the building.
The parents expressed displeasure over the slow pace of the court case. The 14 arrested accused are now out on bail and statements of 90 witnesses have been recorded in the court.
“Four years later, the case is still going on. Recording of statements of parents has now started in the court,” said Jaysukh Gajera, father of one of the deceased students.
The parents had recently approached the local sessions court to expedite the case but their appeal was rejected. “We will approach the Gujarat High Court with an appeal for a fast-track hearing of the case. We hope that those responsible for the tragedy are punished at the earliest so that such a tragedy does not happen again. The parents are also upset as there has been no progress on the plan of a memorial for the children announced by some elected officials of the SMC. It was announced by SMC officials in Budget But nothing has been done on this front. They can develop a memorial in a few weeks when so many big projects are completed in a few months,” said one of the parents.
On May 24, 2019, 22 young students, including a child, had lost their lives when a fire broke out on the illegally constructed fourth floor of Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana. The students were in a coaching class to prepare for admission to interior design and architecture courses. Most of the students died of smoke inhalation, while some died after jumping from windows.
The fire broke out on the first floor due to spark in the outdoor unit of AC. The fire broke out in an outdoor unit of the AC, a flex banner caught fire, which spread to the upper floors. The fire spread quickly due to highly flammable materials such as car tires and wooden desks kept in the building. A wooden staircase connecting the fourth floor to the rest of the building also caught fire, leaving students unable to exit.
In all, 14 people have been arrested, including officials of Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES), Surat Municipal Corporation and Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited, and the developers of the building.