Gurgaon: Day after condo fire, focus on whether terrace door was locked

“The doors have been locked for years. When it used to be unlocked, people used it for all sorts of activities. We had instances of people drinking there and throwing bottles. The maintenance agency started keeping it locked eventually,” claimed former RWA president of Tulip Orange.

An official from Apple Facility, the maintenance firm, denied the claim: “There was no lock, it was simply latched. The terrace is not meant to be used by people due to safety reasons. We have discouraged everyone, especially children, from going upstairs. It is only there to be used in case of a fire or emergency….”

A Gurgaon Police officer said: “Any angles or violations that emerge will be taken into consideration, and the person responsible will be brought into the ambit of the probe.” Police have registered a case against Tulip Infrastructure, Apple Facility Service Private Limited and Department of Town and Country Planning, under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Read | Gurgaon: Woman dead in fire at condominium

Swati (33) died of asphyxiation as she tried to get to the terrace and found the two entrances locked at the gated condominium in Gurgaon’s Sector 70

Officials from the fire department reiterated that the building had requisite permissions and NOC, and that the only violation was the terrace door being locked. “A high-rise does not collapse easily, so people should be able to rush to the terrace for fresh air in case of a fire. In this case, the terrace was locked,” said fire services officer I S Kashyap.

On Tuesday afternoon, occupants of 40-odd apartments in tower B6 sought shelter elsewhere as the maintenance agency struggled to restore electricity to the building. An official from Apple Facility said the blaze had gutted the electrical shaft. “We expect full electricity will be arranged by Wednesday morning,” said the official.

The agency also equipped five vacant flats in the other towers with bedding, water and food, which are being used as a temporary home by some families.

Swati’s post-mortem was conducted on Monday afternoon, and her husband and daughter left for Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, in the evening, where her last rites will be carried out. Her mother, who suffered burn injuries according to doctors, had a cardiac arrest and is in the ICU.

A resident said they will ask the builder for “another fire escape staircase to prevent a repeat of such an incident”.
Tulip Infratech did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. A source from the Department of Town and Country Planning said a single staircase was acceptable for a high-rise building in 2013, when the condominium had received its occupation certificate. “Two staircases became a norm only in 2016. Buildings constructed prior to that were not expected to make any changes in this regard,” he said.