Students pay tribute to victims of Surat fire in Amritsar

Amritsar: Scores of children studying at a school in Amritsar on Saturday paid tribute to the victims who died in a massive fire which broke out in a multi-storey building in Surat on Friday.

The children condoled the death by chanting Gayatri Mantra, a universal prayer enriched in the Vedas, and also observed an hour of 'maun vrat' (oath of silence) for the departed souls.

While speaking to ANI, Yashanpreet Kaur said that there is a dire need for the government to roll out rules for opening coaching classes and also requested the administration to make adequate arrangements to douse the fire on time.

" It is high time that the government must come with some law pertaining to the opening of coaching centers in the complexes. The local administration must also be trained to provide quick help at the time of crisis."

On May 24, a blaze ripped through the coaching center located in Takshashila Arcade in Surat's Sarthana area, killing as many as 20 people, mostly students, and injuring many others.

Several students were seen jumping off the building to escape the inferno. Some people were unable to escape and died on the spot. As the rescue operations were carried out, charred bodies were found. The fire was reportedly triggered by a short circuit.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had on Friday ordered an investigation and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those killed.