Council spars over relief plan

At the BBMP council meeting on Wednesday, members of different parties aired their views on the compensation announced for Russell Market victims.

Some said that chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda’s decision of providing `50,000 to all affected shops was justified. However, the opposition was against providing compensation proportionate to the loss incurred by each shop.

“It’s been more than four days and the shopkeepers are yet to get their compensation. BBMP has to assess the goods and the investments before providing the compensation,” Opposition party leader M Udayshankar said.

JD(S) leader Padmanabha Reddy pointed out that building the shops outside the market was not a good idea as it would make the place too congested.
Sunkenahalli corporator PN Sadashiva said the fire might have erupted because of the shopkeepers’ negligence.

“During the investigation, officials found that the shopkeepers had kept wooden logs inside the shops, which is not permitted. And secondly, they were using more bulbs and tubelights than permitted. The forensic lab is investigating the cause of fire,” he said.

BBMP commissioner MK Shankarlinge Gowda said he had set up a committee, which would prepare a detailed project report and come up with a plan for reconstructing Russell Market within a week.

The commissioner added that Torsteel Research Foundation would provide the stability report.