NEW DELHI: Bhawana Joshi, the sole survivor of a family of five Delhi tourists caught in the Birch by Romeo Lane blaze in Goa last week, has alleged grave negligence by the club and authorities.
Claiming that the staff prioritised saving their equipment over evacuating people, Joshi (40), who lost her husband, Vinod Kumar, and her three sisters, Anita, Saroj and Kamla, told TOI on Friday: "The evacuation process wasn't systematic. One of the doors was not opening."
The staff, she alleged, tried to shield the dancer who was performing when the fire broke out and didn't pay attention to others struggling to escape. There was neither enough time nor space for proper evacuation, and the fire brigade took 30 to 40 minutes to reach the spot, she said.
The club has a history of mistreating guests, she claimed, citing an incident of bouncers allegedly being disrespectful to a family. There had been complaints about the club admitting more people than the space could safely accommodate, she alleged.
Repeated calls from officials adding to distress: SurvivorQuestioning why the authorities failed to act despite these earlier incidents and red flags, Joshi said while the detention of the owners - Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra in Thailand on Thursday - was a step in the right direction, they should "go behind bars and stay behind bars".
Recalling the frantic moments just after the fire started spreading, Joshi said, "I can still picture those trapped inside and calling for help. The official death toll is 25, but the true scale of the tragedy may be much larger, as many suffered serious injuries or are still missing."
The recovery of unidentified limbs and charred remains, she added, has only deepened the uncertainty of the situation.
After the tragedy, Joshi is now responsible for caring for four children - her daughter who studies in Class III, her son (Class VII), her nephew, a Class VIII student and her niece who is in her first year of college, along with three senior citizens of the family.
Though a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased have been announced by Goa govt and the Centre, respectively, Joshi said despite sending them relevant documents several times, repeated calls from the authorities have only added to her distress.
"I told them I don't even want the compensation any more because it feels like a formality, as though they are trying to buy our silence with it. Aisa lag raha hai ki bheek de rahein hain. Mujhe nahi chahiye aisi bheek (it feels as though they are making me beg for it, I don't want such alms)," she said, adding, "How will I manage with this amount? Those who were earning are gone now. I would rather take a job..."
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Khushi Bhuta is a reporter based in New Delhi. She has prior repo...
Read MoreKhushi Bhuta is a reporter based in New Delhi. She has prior reporting experience in her hometown Mumbai along with Chennai and Pune. She focuses closely on urban ground realities, particularly issues around crime and public safety. Her work revolves around lived experiences and the everyday impact of city systems.
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