Residents in shock, rap owner for causing loss of lives

Hyderabad: Residents of Balaji Residency were in shock over the massive fire that left nine residents dead on Monday. They blamed the apartment owner, Ramesh Jaiswal, for endangering their lives by illegally storing chemicals in the residential complex.

Recollecting the sequence of events, Mohammed Hafeez, a resident of the apartment said: “At 8.40 am, I heard a blast and assumed it to be of a cracker. A few seconds later, I heard people shouting for help and loud cries. I peeped through my balcony and saw fire and thick dark smoke.”

“While rushing down the stairs, I called a friend who stays in an adjoining building. He said that they heard several blasts. When I came out, the apartment was already on fire and people had started evacuating,” Mohammed Hafeez said.

Maqdooma Begum, another resident of the apartment, did not hold back while rapping the building owner.

“Despite being warned not to store deadly chemicals, Ramesh Jaiswal was illegally storing hundreds of cans not only in the basement but also in a shutter quite opposite Laddu Towers, The police should take a stern action against him,” she said, adding that he remained the owner and all residents had taken houses on lease.