A fire broke out on the premises of a plastic waste shredder unit at Gangondanahalli, near Nayandahalli in Bengaluru early morning on February 23. At least 26 autorickshaws and one car were gutted. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire.
The Fire Department was alerted by a call at 1.57 a.m. Five fire tenders rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by 8 a.m, sources in the Fire and Emergency Services said.
The plastic waste shredder unit is owned by Rizwan. The premises were also let out for parking of auto rickshaws, goods vehicles and pushcarts at the rate of ₹30 per vehicle per night, sources said.
It can be recalled that at least 18 buses were gutted in an accidental fire that broke out at a similar parking lot for buses on October 30, 2023 at Veerabhadranagar, not far from Gangondanahalli.
Short circuit suspected
There was a shed that was being used to store plastic waste and shred it and auto rickshaws were parked in the compound during night time in Gangondanahalli where fire broke out in the wee hours of Friday. Plastic waste was also strewn on the premises. The fire is suspected to have started due to an electric short circuit in the shed and spread to the plastic waste in the compound and the vehicles parked nearby.
“Many goods auto rickshaws and push carts were also filled with vessels, plastic items and even plastic waste. This added fuel to the fire and made fire fighting a challenge,” a firefighter said.
Mahesh, a local resident, told media persons that the fire started around 1.45 a.m. and spread to the entire compound. “Some of us rushed inside and brought out some auto rickshaws and parked them some distance away. But we could not save many,” he said.
Another auto driver Mohammed Aslam, a resident, said that they pulled out at least 35 to 40 auto rickshaws, or else the damage could have been much higher.
Auto drivers
Auto drivers who lost their vehicles in the fire, have lost their lifeline and are anxious about their future. Many of these rickshaws were also taken on rent at ₹200 per day and the owners are now asking drivers to pay up.
Wasim Pasha, 38, has been riding an auto rickshaw for the past eight years at a rent of ₹200 per day. “I have been parking it here for the past year and a half and there has been no problem. But now it is charred beyond recognition. The vehicle owner is holding me accountable. I have all the documents and insurance. I hope I will get the insurance money, otherwise I will not only lose my lifeline to earn my bread and butter, but also be caught in debt,” he said.
Another auto driver Mohammed Hidayat Asif, 34, who also lost his auto rickshaw in the fire on Friday, said he had recently bought the rickshaw taking a loan and now it was gutted in the fire. “I hope the government helps us by paying some compensation or help us get our insurance money. Now I have a loan on the vehicle, but have lost the vehicle,” he said.
Srinivas, General Secretary, Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union, affiliated with Centre for Indian Trade Unions’ (CITU), demanded that the state government compensate auto drivers and other push cart owners who have lost their vehicles and their source of livelihoods.
Vijayanagar MLA M. Krishnappa visited the spot and assured the victims of assistance, but did not announce any compensation.
