15 years since Carlton Towers fire accident, the needle has moved a little, but not very far: Uday Vijayan

Uday Vijayan's activism with Beyond Carlton has improved fire safety measures, but gaps remain in comprehensive planning and victim support.

In the 15 years since he tragically lost his 22-year-old son Akhil Uday in the fire accident at Carlton Towers , Uday Vijayan, who took to activism campaigning for fire safety through the civic group Beyond Carlton, said the “needle had definitely moved a little, though not very far”.

“Some of the rules got changed because of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) we filed in the High Court in 2010. Regular inspections and fire safety audits of high rises became a norm following our PIL. The number of calls we get from apartment associations and RWAs seeking guidance on fire safety measures is an indication of the need to comply and increase awareness. Moreover, most new-age office spaces in the city now have strict fire safety protocols, which we put down to the insistence of multinational companies. There is more openness in the government to partner with civil society organisations over fire safety,” he said. 

But a lot of gaps remain. For instance, Beyond Carlton prepared a 5-year fire safety blueprint for Bengaluru in 2018, he added.

“There has been some action on around 60% of the points we had recommended, but others still need focus. This blueprint ended in 2023 and we have been in talks with the Fire and Emergency Services for a second version of the same. But we need to take a step ahead and make a holistic fire safety plan bringing all other stakeholders like electricity supply companies (escoms), civic bodies, and local planning authorities under the umbrella of disaster management. This practice should be institutionalised as well,” Mr. Vijayan said.

Beyond Carlton prepared a similar Comprehensive Fire Safety Plan for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in Odisha, where the Plan was housed under disaster management bringing all stakeholders to the table.

Beyond Carlton has conducted training sessions for several first responders like estate managers in apartment complexes, and those who are at risk of fire accidents like linemen of escoms, etc. “Going ahead, we want to work more on the treatment and rehabilitation of victims with burn injuries. The infrastructure is woefully scarce in the state. We have been advocating for a burns ward in every district and more burns wards in Bengaluru,” Mr. Vijayan said.