Telangana HC takes up DC reports on Swapnalok fire mishap as suo motu PIL
Hyderabad: Taking cognizance of a series of reports published in Deccan Chronicle on the Swapnalok Complex fire mishap in Secunderabad, the Telangana High Court initiated suo motu public interest litigation and named several higher officials as respondents, including the Chief Secretary.
The Chief Secretary, principal secretary of municipal administration, GHMC commissioner, DGP, commissioner of police, Hyderabad DG for the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services, Hyderabad district collector and the member secretary of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority and others were listed as the respondents in the suo motu PIL. The PIL will come up for hearing before the High Court in a day or two.
The fire broke out at Swapnalok Complex on March 16 this year, killing six employees inside the QNet office in the B-Block, Flats 510 and 511 on the complex’s fifth floor.
The court made QNet Vihaan Direct Selling Pvt. Ltd. and its director as the respondents based on a DC report stated that the company, which was under the ED probe, was running a unit in the Swapnalok Complex, and that all victims of the fire mishap were employees of the multi-level marketing firm. QNet has been on the radar of central investigating agencies for defrauding people.
The court took cognizance of reports published in Deccan Chronicle on March 17, 18, and 19. In one report, DC highlighted how the management of the Swapnalok complex ignored putting firefighting equipment in place despite a similar mishap occurring in 2011.
In another report, DC highlighted that there are at least 17 high-risk structures posing a grave threat to the people. Further, there are 774 commercial structures and 1,923 stores in Hyderabad that lack fire safety measures.
A multi-disciplinary team of officials of police, revenue, and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's Disaster Response Force (DRF) had identified the vulnerable structures after a pilot survey. The survey was conducted only on a single stretch across all six zones to identify commercial structures that do not adhere to fire safety norms.
Paradise Hotel and Tristar Hotel in Secunderabad, apart from 15 other structures in the city were notified as high-risk structures as they pose a grave threat to the residents in the neighbourhood.
