3 min readMumbaiMar 3, 2018 12:12 AM IST
First published on: Mar 3, 2018 at 12:12 AM IST
The fire took place minutes after midnight — on the intervening night of December 29 and 30- at two restaurants, 1Above and Mojo Bistro, causing the death of 14 people and leaving 50 people injured.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday said that shortcomings in the BMC’s audit on restaurants in the city are responsible for the Kamala Mills fire incident. The court also said that apart from a probe on the reason for the fire, the state should ensure that remedial measures to prevent such incidents are also taken.
Counsel for the BMC, Anil Sakhre, told the court that fire audits of restaurants have been conducted by the civic body. “You’re doing (it) but there are shortcomings and that is why incidents like these are happening…we have seen the results of your audit,” the court said.
On February 16, an order was passed by the High Court to set up an independent three-member committee under the chairmanship of a retired Judge of the High Court and consisting of a prominent architect forming part of the Panel of Architects of the High Court as well as an expert conversant with the Town Planning and Town Planning Laws or a retired secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD), have to be appointed to probe into the genesis of the unfortunate incident as well as to consider the violations at the level of restaurant operators, and owner of the Mill.
Pursuant to the order, senior counsel Vineet Naik, in a sealed envelope, submitted names of retired Bombay High Court judges, architects from the High Court panel and retired secretaries from the UDD before the court. A division bench of Justice Shantanu Khemkar and Justice Makarand Karnik said, “The names will be considered and the Committee will be constituted accordingly on the next date of hearing.”
The court asked the state government to consult the BMC and submit details on proper infrastructure proposal for the Committee in terms of remunerations, place where the office will be set up for the committee and the time that will be taken by the committee to complete the report.
Terming the reason of the fire at Kamala Mills “willful, negligent and neglectful attitude” by the authorities and restaurant owners, former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro had filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Bombay High Court seeking a judicial inquiry.
The fire took place minutes after midnight — on the intervening night of December 29 and 30- at two restaurants, 1Above and Mojo Bistro, causing the death of 14 people and leaving 50 people injured.
The fire took place minutes after midnight — on the intervening night of December 29 and 30- at two restaurants, 1Above and Mojo Bistro, causing the death of 14 people and leaving 50 people injured.
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