Mumbai pub fire: BMC crackdown on illegal structures continues

Continuing its crackdown on unauthorised constructions for the fourth day today after a blaze at an upscale pub in Mumbai killed 14 people, the civic body asked the owners of commercial establishments to assess, on their own, if their premises were compliant with all fire safety norms.

The owners of commercial establishments must assess if they adhere to Fire Codified Requirements, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said, adding that those found not complying with the guidelines would face action.

On December 29, a massive fire swirled over the terrace of '1 Above' pub at Kamala Mills compound, killing 14 people.

The BMC has initiated a drive to demolish illegal constructions at hotels and pubs following the tragedy.

The Mumbai fire department was planning to install a new software to monitor compliance of the fire safety rules, a senior civic body official told PTI.

"We are in the last stage of introducing a new software which will pick defaulters from the database. The database will comprise fire compliance details of lakhs of commercial and big residential establishments. The software will send alerts not only to us but also to owners (about non- compliance)," the official said.

Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta asked seven zonal deputy municipal commissioners to find out why action had not been taken against illegal constructions at commercial structures.

A BMC official said Mehta expressed anger over the corporation's failure to take prompt action.

Since December 29, BMC officials have inspected 615 establishments and demolished illegal constructions at 355 hotels and pubs till yesterday, according its spokesperson.

More than 420 LPG cylinders were seized from various eateries for violation of norms related to their use and storage, a release from the BMC said yesterday.

The demolition drive was being carried out in Todi Mill and Raghuvanshi Mill areas today, another BMC official said.