MTNL blaze: Officials face FIR for non-functional fire system

An FIR has been registered against two officials in connection with the recent massive fire at the MTNL building in suburban Bandra, as its internal fire- fighting system was found to be not working.

The Fire Brigade lodged a complaint under the Fire Act against MTNL's senior manager S D Panditrao and deputy manager R B Yadav at Bandra police station, a police official said.

Based on the complaint, a First Information Report was lodged, he said. No arrest has been made yet.

A massive fire broke out on July 22 in the nine-story MTNL building, trapping 84 people inside who took shelter on the terrace.

All were rescued successfully by the fire brigade in one of the biggest such operations in the city in the recent times.

In its report, the Fire Brigade said the fire started in the electrical wiring in the false ceiling on one of the floors.

When there was a minor fire in the building last year, it was noticed that the internal fire-fighting system was broken, it said.

A notice was served and the system was restored to working condition, but the concerned MTNL officials failed to maintain it, the report said.