FROM GROUND ZERO

FROM GROUND ZERO
WHO LIT THE FIRE?
A must-visit in shoppers’ diary, Jayanagar Shopping Complex mourns the loss of its integral self — vegetable market, now reduced to cinders in a devastating fire that broke out late Friday night. Vinay Madhav visits the remains to recount the tales of hopes lost
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Very few shops were insured
Like many, Mohammed Aziz was lured from Kerala by Bangalore’s glittering image. For over a decade, he supported himself by selling petty goods on the city’s footpaths. When business was good, he settled around Jayanagar Shopping Complex. Four years ago, he took up space on sub-lease in the vegetable market and set up a readymade-garments shop.
Since then, he never looked back, till he received a telephone call on Friday night. The lessor told him the complex was on fire, and Aziz rushed to the spot. He watched helplessly as the soaring flames gutted most of the complex, engulfing his shop as well.
Aziz estimates the loss at over Rs 10 lakh. It never occurred to him to insure the business. Shocked, he initially refused to pose for a photograph. “If my relatives in Kerala learn about the incident, they will feel bad,’’ he said.
Aziz is one of over 100 traders in the Jayanagar complex who lost their livelihood. Over 95% of the original allottees in the complex, who pay rent of Rs 300 per month to the BBMP, have sub-let shops to people like Aziz for Rs 300 per day. Though it is a vegetable market, shops here sell stationery, cloth and tailoring services. Not more than 5% of the original allottees conduct business here.
Mahadeva and Shivu, brothers who ran a tailoring unit here, said, “We sold some of our land at Kanakapura and raised money from private lenders. We are in the business for the past nine years, but were yet to come out of debt. However, we could make a living.’’
Shivu wanted to insure the business and even got the application form from a private insurance company. “Even the form got burnt,’’ he whispered.
Businesses in the complex function like this: traders raise money through ‘meter baddi’ (term used for multiplying compound interest in the market), rotate it and make a living. Most traders were too shocked to react.
A stationery shop owner moved away, shaking his head. The person standing next to him said, “On Thursday, he made payment of Rs 14 lakh for goods he received. Today, not even a single piece of paper is left.’’
Some did not even have time to cry over the loss. They were busy collecting leftovers. However, shop owners trading in bangles and other fancy goods did not want the damaged goods moved, so they could claim compensation.
The traders were not alone in mourning the loss. Many Jayanagar residents, who’ve developed a relationship with the complex, visited the devastated area. Vanishree Satish, who visited the spot along with her husband, was in a state of disbelief. “From childhood, this complex was my ‘adda’. It catered to most of my needs. I could not believe it was on fire and came here to have a final glimpse of the market,’’ she said.
Just before Aziz left, he asked, “Sir, will the government or the big people visiting this place help me in any way?’’
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com Was it short-circuit or lit lamp that led to tragedy?
Bangalore: There are different versions of what led to the fire and where it first broke out. Though officials suspect a short circuit, others have their own theories. A police officer observed that most fire incidents in shopping complexes take place on Friday nights. On Friday evenings, traders perform pooja and leave the lamps on. If any inflammable substance catches fire, it can spread.
Besides, in old shopping complexes, traders do not depend only on electrical plug points. According to their convenience, the wires are often drawn from the point. Once a power line catches fire, the entire circuit will be burnt, he pointed out.
There are differences of opinion on where the fire started. While some pointed to the south gate of the market, where footpath vegetable vendors keep their belongings, others say the fire started on the first floor. To support their argument, they point out at all the shops in the first floor are gutted, while some shops in the ground floor are still intact.
Compensation: Bangalore in-charge Minister R Ashok, local legislators Vijay Kumar and Ramalinga Reddy visited the Complex, along with BBMP commissioner S Subramanya.
Ashok held a meeting with traders, shop owners in the Complex and announced compensation of Rs 12,500 per shop. When shop owners pleaded the compensation was not adequate, Ashok said he’d look into the issue later. Subramanya said technicians had been consulted to ascertain if the building could be used after renovation. “If the technicians feel the building is unsafe, then we will demolish it and build a new one,’’ he added.
Prakash Mandoth, PRESIDENT, JAYANAGAR TRADERS’ ASSOCIATION: “It is one of the saddest days in the history of Jayanagar. So many people have lost their livelihood in and around the vegetable market. We downed shutters to express solidarity. I remember the complex coming up in 1976 and it has been a landmark since then.’’
B K Goyal, SECRETARY, FEDERATION OF TRADERS’ ASSOCIATION, CENTRAL BANGALORE: “The complex is a landmark in south Bangalore. The complex got a bit cramped and there were too many shops making the passages narrow. The connections between the market, shops and the main complex do not seem to have much space. In the past we referred to this, but nothing happened.’’
Momita Das, JAYANAGAR RESIDENT: “The damage caused by fire is irreparable. I miss the complex, which was a one-stop shop for all my necessities. The saddest part is the small businessmen who lost their livelihoods in the incident.’’
PRIMER ON JAYANAGAR
Jayanagar, hub of Southern Bangalore, was designed by Sir M Visvesvaraya and was earlier considered the largest residential layouts in Asia Jayanagar 4th Block is well-known for its shopping, restaurants and fast-food centres Current market price of land is on average more than Rs 10,000/sq ft Post-2000, employers have opened office locations in south Bangalore, accompanied by a series on new malls and multiplexes