The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday undertook a massive demolition drive inside Kamala Mills complex where 14 people died on Friday after a blaze engulfed a rooftop restaurant.
According to officials, the two-day demolition drive will crack the whip on all unauthorised constructions and illegal extensions that have been erected by the restaurants inside the complex.
On Friday, the BMC had suspended five officials while the chief of the corporation, Ajoy Mehta had set up 25 teams to inspect hotels, bars, restaurants and malls in Kamala Mills. He will submit a report within 15 days.
During his visit to the site, Mehta found that several restaurants, bars and pubs had their emergency exits blocked or didn’t have any due to unauthorised constructions.
On Friday, hours after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an “in-depth” enquiry into the accident, the BMC had razed illegal roof of two restaurants in Kamala Mills while encroachments of two similar establishments in Raghuvanshi Mills were also cleared.
Fourteen persons, including a young woman celebrating her birthday, were asphyxiated, and at least 55 others injured in the deadly blaze that broke out in the Kamala Mills compound, in Mumbai’s Lower Parel area, early on Friday. It quickly spread to another pub and a restaurant in the vicinity virtually trapping over 200 people on the premises.
More than 12 fire tenders were rushed to fight the blaze which was brought under control around 6.30 am. Most of the deaths were due to asphyxiation.
Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir has assured that those responsible for the fire will have to face action even though the owners of the restaurants where the fire began remain absconding.