Their fortunes tied to Uphaar Cinema, shop owners recall market that was

On Wednesday, Neelam Krishnamoorthy, convener of the Association of Victims of the Uphaar Tragedy, who lost her two children in the fire, said on Twitter: “The court in its wisdom decides to release Uphaar Cinema. The site is a monument of mass murder and legal battle waged by the victims, proof of a flawed legal system that betrays those seeking justice. Could this not embolden the unscrupulous, to again make it a site of mass murder?”

The Supreme Court had imposed a fine of Rs 30 crore each on Sushil and Gopal Ansal, who were the former directors of Ansal Theaters and Clubotels Private Ltd. They were also later convicted of tampering with evidence related to the 1997 fire.

The ground floor of the building is covered in garbage, and water drips from the ceiling. Parts of the roof have fallen, leaving gaping holes. Burnt bits of wood and a broken seat lie strewn around the hall, and the floor, covered with the remnants of the building and garbage, is no longer visible. Graffiti is now on the walls. The remnants of a cinema remain – a faint ‘4 shows’ painted on a board outside and a shuttered ticket counter with a fading price still displayed above it.

There is both grief and helplessness among shop owners who were at the market the day the fire broke out, during a screening of the film ‘Border’. “We did everything we could. We tried moving a few cars to allow the fire trucks to pass…the families who lost loved ones lost so much,” Singh said.

The market, which is also known as the Uphaar Complex, never really recovered, he added. “There were two restaurants close to the cinema that shut down. The footfall here used to be high. There were fast food kiosks. The market is more or less dead now,” Singh said.

The market now houses banks, insurance companies, furniture stores, and a few restaurants.

Rajeev Gupta (59), secretary of the Green Park Extension Market Association, said, “The market, which was once bustling, grew around the cinema. It was a very popular cinema… It came to be called the Uphaar Cinema Complex. There were automobile showrooms and many restaurants. The market lost its spark after the tragedy. Now it is no longer known for any particular establishment. The market was open on the day of the fire… I was in my office when I saw police vehicles.”

“The building is now falling apart…the bricks and concrete blocks of the building fall sometimes,” Gupta said.

The market now has around 100 shops and nearly double the number of offices, he said. Some buildings are vacant and over the years, many shops turned into office spaces.

A fast-food stall runs right in front of the dilapidated building.

The market came up in the 1960s, and Singh said their shop had been around since 1967. The cinema itself became operational in 1973 on land leased by Green Park Theatres. In 1996, Green Park Theatres was named Ansal Theatres and Clubotels.

Harsh Kapoor (62), who runs a store in the market, said, “Families would come to the market, and people would come to walk around before a movie. On the day of the fire, many of us tried to help. Many have suffered. For a couple of years after the tragedy, things still went by. Then the circumstances were such that some (shop owners) left on their own. It was a prime location, and it still is. But the market is dull, having become more of an office space and a space for banks and their employees and customers, not retailers. It is no longer a space where families come to shop, but it is so accessible…the metro station is close by.”

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There is also talk in the market about what may take the cinema’s place. “It is a large space that lies close to the parking area. What might come up there? More offices? A commercial space?” Kapoor said.