Another suicide attempt on Tuesday evening by a teenage girl from the sixth floor of Hari Om Tower at Circular Road under lalpur Police Station of Capital City has spread an invisible fear among shop-owners and educational institutes running in the building. Though the attempt was foiled right on time by those present at the floor, the safety and security arrangements of the premise remain as questionable and poor as they used to be.
This 13-year old building run by Hari Om Tower Shop Owners Association, popularly known as H.O.T among youngsters and notoriously as ‘Death Tower’, has witnessed around half a dozen suicide attempts since last five years with a success rate of over 80 per cent. But no serious attempts have appeared to be made to either increase the height of railing on the floor, which contrary to stop someone from falling, only supports in it with their low height of not more than two-feet.
“I am not directly in know-how of any further security arrangements even after Tuesday evening’s incident. But I have come to know that the office bearers of the Association running the building have started organizing rounds of meetings to beef up security,” said one Neeraj Kumar, Office In-Charge of an educational institute at second floor of Hari Om Tower, which houses over two dozens of shops of electronic goods, other than educational institutes.
He added that it was a matter of amusement that those not directly associated with activities here chose this building only to end their lives. It is also said that the shopkeepers performed a Pooja after first such attempt met its success some five years ago, so that the place could be freed from devil-heart, if any.
However, the bigger question of absence of security arrangements at this 7-floor building remains as persistent as it was after the suicide by a lady from its 4th floor in April 2010. At least four persons have committed suicide in the building premise in almost similar fashion: a jump from 4th or sixth floor of the building. Surprising fact is that two of the person chose to fall from almost same place of the 4th floor as recently as last year.
“I am working here since foundation stone of this building was laid some 18 years ago. However, cases of suicide attempts are comparatively new to this building. We are trying to do at least something, so that such incidents could be avoided,” said care-taker of the building Anil Sharma.
Even district administration doesn’t appear as concerned as it should be. “We can only impose a do’s and don’ts for the building and we will be doing same soon. Rest remains a call of those running the premise,” said City SP Kishore Kaushal.