After 24 hours, mom comes wailing for Chandigarh PG fire victim Riya

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23

Since yesterday, no close relative of Riya, one among the three girls who lost their lives in the unfortunate fire accident, came looking for her.

At around 4.30 pm (IST), Riya’s mother Kanta Rani arrived at the GMCH from Czech Republic. Yesterday, she received a call from her daughter’s friend. “She told me that a fire broke out at the PG accommodation and my daughter was one among the three girls whose condition was critical. Even before I could wrap my head around the information, within 10 minutes I received another call where I was told that my daughter was no more,” says Kanta, who works in a garment factory. “We don’t have anyone in India,” she said.

About five years ago, Kanta lost her husband and was hoping to send Riya to London in July. “My elder daughter is married in London and I had thought of enrolling Riya in an airline course. She was very fond of travelling,” said Kanta. “Riya was studying at Alliance Francaise here. Initially, I thought, if she’d study French, it would be easier for her to get a PR to Canada, but then I changed my mind,” she added.

Tears rolled down Kanta’s eyes when she recalled sending her daughter a cake on her 19th birthday. “My little girl turned 19 on January 31. This is so unfair!” she wept. Talking about her daughter’s dream of becoming a model, she said that the PG owners had been rather lackadaisical towards the matters of safety. She said: “Twice, I noticed naked wires around the PG, but to no avail. Last week, police came to the PG because some boys were chasing girls and were creating a ruckus outside the PG, but no action was taken. The administration needs to be stricter when it comes to safety measures in PG accommodations.” Dejected, Kanta struggled to move on and sign on her daughter’s post-mortem form. In disbelief, she asked: “My only motivation to work was Riya. I don’t have any reason to live now. What will I do!”