The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday released their report on the Kamala Mills Fire. The Quint accessed the report, and from the conclusions that the civic body has drawn regarding the cause of the fire, they seem to be pushing the blame of the incident onto everyone but themselves.
According to their report, the fire was caused due to a combination of illegal services by the restaurants, negligence by the restaurant owners, and the miscalculations by the architects and interior designers who worked on these restaurants.
“The tragedy took place at the intersection of greed fuelled by impunity, and utter contempt for rules and failure of various agencies to ensure compliance,” the BMC report stated.
Illegal Services and Unauthorised Construction
According to the report, the BMC said that the fire was caused due to the fire embers flying out from the hookahs that were being illegally served at Mojo’s Bistro Restaurant.
In addition, the restaurant had allegedly partially covered their terrace without authorisation, and had used “all kinds of combustible materials” for the construction of the same.
The 1 Above Restaurant too had, without authorisation, covered its open-terrace with highly flammable material, which they said immediately caught fire from Mojo’s Bistro wall-side and spread all over.
Negligence by Owner of Premises, Architects
The report also says that the owner of the premises – Kamala Mills – who gave permission for unauthorised use of terrace-areas to the restaurant owners, and did not take any precautions regarding fire safety, are equally responsible for the death of the 14 individuals who died in the fire that broke out on 29 December.
The BMC also laid part of the blame for the incident on the architects and interior-designers who had worked on these restaurants, for the construction of such "dangerous and unauthorised” structures, using such highly flammable materials while building the same.
MCGM Officials Who Had Given Permission for Illegal Constructions
The report also mentioned that several departments of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) were also responsible for the incident, for having given permissions and licenses for the illegal use of terrace areas and unauthorised construction under MMC and MRTP.
It said that while the MCGM had already suspended five officials from the Ward office and fire brigade, “full-fledged departmental enquiries” would be conducted by ten other officials from its various departments.
“Compliances and machinery, both in MCGM (Municipal body) and other organisations, need to be strengthened,” the report stated.
This, it said, would ensure that “law abiding” businesses wouldn’t have to wait around too long for approval, and those who are bent on violating the procedures, would not be allowed to “indulge in delinquent behaviour”.
While the BMC’s extremely detailed report seems to have “narrowed down” the perpetrators responsible for the massive fire that broke out on 29 December, it nowhere mentioned the role that it had to play in the same.
Earlier, several politicians and parties such as the Congress and MNC had raised a finger (or several) against the BMC and their negligent attitude, which was the direct cause of the Kamala Mills Fire. Congress MLA Nitish Rane had even mentioned that he would stage a protest against the corruption exuded by the BMC.
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