Bengaluru, April 29 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday expressed shock and grief over the wall collapse incident in Bengaluru that claimed seven lives, calling it a tragedy that should not have occurred.
Shivakumar visited Bowring Hospital on Wednesday night, where the injured are undergoing treatment, and gathered information about the incident.
Speaking to the media, he said that among the deceased were four roadside vendors, two tourists from Kerala, and a child.
The identity of one victim is yet to be confirmed.
Those who died included footwear and clothing vendors, as well as visitors who had come from Kerala on a trip.
“It is extremely grievous that seven people have died due to the compound wall’s collapse. Such incidents should not happen. I am deeply shocked by this,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the Chief Minister has already announced compensation for the victims’ families, but stressed that such an accident should never have happened.
He explained that a group of 56 people from Kerala, associated with an organisation, had come to Bengaluru on a trip and were shopping on Commercial Street when it started raining.
Despite warnings, some of them took shelter near the wall, which then collapsed.
Three injured persons, Preethi, Shaija, and Shiju, are now recovering.
The deceased include Latha and Sruthi, who were working in a nutrition-related organisation.
Government officials had accompanied the group.
Shivakumar said the Kerala government would be informed, and arrangements would be made to conduct post-mortems and send the bodies respectfully.
He said falling trees and branches during heavy rain had also caused damage to vehicles across the city.
“I have instructed officials to begin removing weak and dangerous tree branches from tomorrow itself.
More than 100 instances of fallen trees have been reported across the city.
Officials have been directed to identify and clear hazardous trees and branches,” he said, adding that he personally noticed several fallen trees while returning from Kanakapura.
Responding to criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which termed the incident a failure of the government, Shivakumar said the opposition only criticises and does not offer solutions.
“They have nothing else to do except criticise and speak before the media. We are focusing on finding solutions,” he said.
He added that he was informed about the incident by the Police Commissioner and civic officials while he was attending a meeting in Kanakapura.
The Chief Minister has already visited the site and reviewed the situation.
Shivakumar noted that the collapsed wall was part of a very old structure and termed the incident unfortunate.
He said an inquiry has been ordered.
According to preliminary reports, eight deaths have been reported in Bengaluru due to rain-related incidents, including one near Vega City Mall, he said.
He further directed officials to prevent street vendors from operating in dangerous areas.
“There were concerns earlier about a lack of rainfall, but now the city has witnessed heavy rains, including hailstorms of this scale for the first time in Bengaluru.
Steps will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.
When asked whether it was a failure of civic authorities, Shivakumar said the hospital is over a hundred years old, and the area had not been properly maintained.
“This is not related to the civic body alone,” he said.
On being asked about accountability, he said that in such situations, someone must take responsibility, but this is not the time to make allegations.
He said the priority is to find solutions.
–IANS
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