The map of a trap

Tucked inside the file, 8216;8216;Fire Tragedy of April 108217;8217; at the Meerut District Magistrate8217;s office, The Indian Express found the original map of the trade fair submitted by the organisers for clearance. One glance, and it8217;s obvious why it became a death trap for 42 people.

Tucked inside the file, 8216;8216;Fire Tragedy of April 108217;8217; at the Meerut District Magistrate8217;s office, The Indian Express found the original map of the trade fair submitted by the organisers for clearance. One glance, and it8217;s obvious why it became a death trap for 42 people.

The map never caught the attention of DM city Shirish Dubey8212;who gave the stamp of OK8212;or of DM Ram Krishan who inaugurated it.

THE DEATH TRAP

After buying the ticket, enter Pandal number 1 from a four-ft wide entrance which leads you to a 51-ft long corridor with stalls on both sides. Turn right, and right again after 20 metres, and you are in another 51-feet corridor which leads to Pandal number 2. If you were at entrance of Pandal 2 when fire broke out, it took a sprint of 120 metres, and fighting a surge of incoming crowd, to reach the entrance.

PANDAL NUMBER 2, BHULBHULIYA MAZE

Here, stalls make a maze with six turns. A corridor of 20 metres, then three left turns8212;51 metres, then 20 metres, 30 metres8212;then two to right8212;eight metres and 30 metres8212;and finally a left turn to enter Pandal number 3.

Most of the deaths took place here. The Guptas8212;Ajay, wife Sangita and daughters Anisa 17 and Anishka 148212;perished here. So did Sanjay Gaur, his wife Urmila and their children, Aastha 14 and Vanshaj 12. Satyam 15 and his mother Arun Babbar died here too.

Why? To exit from this Pandal, choose either the entry gate or the exit gate, both are nearly 200 metres away. The maze ensured visitors lost their way.

FAKE EMERGENCY EXIT

Map has a provision for an 8216;emergency exit8217;8212;a corridor created from Pandal number 1 to Pandal 38212;but this exit was leading to the pandals, and not outside. Organisers closed this corridor on the first night as they were 8220;losing business8221;8212;people were going straight to Pandal Number 3 for the food stalls avoiding Pandal 2, which had electronic stalls as well.

PANDAL 3, GAS CYLINDERS FUEL THE FIRE

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Here, 30 metres down a corridor, you reach a covered food plaza which has gas cylinders. Two right turns and 20 metres later, you are in the final corridor which leads to a four-ft wide exit. The fire caused cylinders to burst and created a fire-wall making people difficult to rush for the exit gate.