Pune:
A month after the bomb blast at the German Bakery in Pune, in which 17 people were killed, the popular eatery will be handed over to the owners on Saturday by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) but it may still be days before the landmark place bustles with activity.
A popular hangout for foreigners, the bakery was sealed for collection of forensic evidence after the terror strike on February 13 and its owners do not envisage getting instantly back to business as several official procedures were yet to be completed by the government including processing compensation claims.
"A written No Objection Certificate (NOC) will be given to us soon by the ATS authorities. Till now the bakery for closed for evidence collection. It will be the first time that we will go inside the bakery after the blast," the bakery owner Snehal Kharose said.
She said once the bakery re-opens it will have more security features like CCTV cameras, which was missing prior to the blast even though the police had asked for the same to be installed.
"The compensation and financial assistance has not been given to us till now. We were assured by the Pune Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhonsale and we have also approached Collector Chandrakant Dalvi for help. We will now talk to the Minister in charge for the city Ajit Pawar," Kharose said.
She said the bakery also has a stay order from the Municipal Corporation on certain seating areas in the front portion.
The RDX blast took place in the seating area and the municipal authorities have done a 'panchnama' at the property for the blast claim, she said
Kharose said three bakery employees -- Praveen, Paras and Krishna -- who were injured in the blast along with 50 others, have desired to come back to work.
Gokul, a bakery employee had succumbed to his injuries after the blast. Four foreigners were among the 17 who were killed in the explosion.
The terror strike at the Bakery was the first major terror act in the past 14 months after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The forensic experts, drawn from various security agencies had take nearly 70 DNA samples from the bakery, known for selling a wide range of snacks, hot and cold beverages and variety of bread and cakes.