remains of the day

The portion of the Block II staircase where bodies were found piled up remains the way it was 12 weeks ago. Pictures by Sanat Kr Sinha

The cut-and-sealed water pipe on the roof of Stephen Court

Iron frames support the fifth-floor roof of the building after the fourth-floor ceiling caved in

Twelve weeks have passed since the Stephen Court blaze killed 43 but time seems to have stood still for the survivors who left a home behind and returned to find a house of horrors. Metro retraced its steps through the still-unlit staircases of the Park Street landmark on Sunday along with four of the families that have come back to live in their apartments after signing a risk bond each.

DARK DISTRESS

Manu Lilaram, 72, has a broken hip and arthritis in both knees. Seated in his spacious second-floor apartment in Block IV, he often wonders what would be his escape route in the event of an emergency.

“As you can see, the staircase is almost pitch dark. We have put up a light in the corridor but that illuminates only the approach to the stairs from our floor. We feel insecure staying here,” says the Stephen Court resident of over five decades.

Darkness descends on the visitor as soon as he walks up the first flight of stairs in each of the blocks, making it almost impossible to reach the upper floors without a torch or at least a cellphone. To make matters worse, electricity cables jut out of portions of the landing between the stairs on each floor in Block III.

Residents and their visitors often stumble on the cables or the iron grilles and tin sheets stacked along the stairs. The cables hanging overhead and the defunct joint boxes on the walls add to the obstacle course.

WATER WOES

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation hasn’t restored water supply because the roof is ostensibly not strong enough to bear the load of the water tanks. But the residents dispute this. “Then why haven’t they pulled down the 20-odd mobile towers that are heavier than the tanks?” demands D.K. Bibra, a resident of Block III.

Residents spend around Rs 200 a day to buy water. “My maid brings a couple of bottles of filtered water from Queens Mansion. I brush my teeth only after she arrives,” insists 61-year-old Patience Traub, who lives on the second floor of Block III.

SCANTY SEWERAGE

The drainage channels of the entire building are blocked at several points. Anyone entering Block III is assaulted by the overpowering stench from the overflowing drain. “Watch your step or you will fall in the muck,” warns a resident.

LONELINESS LOOMS

With only four families out of those who had returned staying back, the sprawling building with four blocks and 60 apartments resembles every bit a haunted house. Each of those living in the building suffers from loneliness with even relatives apparently reluctant to visit them in a building that the civic body still hasn’t certified safe.

“This place use to be abuzz till late at night three months ago and now its almost empty. I feel extremely lonely out here with nobody visiting in the evenings. I wonder who I will call for help if I need it,” says Irene Harris, the granddaughter of Arathoon Stephen, who built Stephen Court.

Octogenarian Irene has not stepped outside her third-floor apartment since the day she returned with husband George last month because the lift isn’t working.

The Armenian Church sends food parcels to the couple’s home every day.

FEAR FACTOR

Nobody who has returned has yet been able to forget the afternoon of March 23 and the nightmare that followed. “It’s eerie in here. I have lived here for almost 60 years, the last few years alone, but it never felt like this,” says Patience Traub.

According to optometrist Bibra, it would take a long time for normality to return. “I used to see 10 patients a day but that has dropped to around three. It’s probably the fear factor,” he explains.