Kamala Mills fire is an eye-opener: Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Monday said “Kamala Mills fire incident is an eye-opener for everyone. The BMC needs to put its house in order”.  The court also said the incident, which occurred on December 29 last year gutting two pubs and taking 14 lives, has shaken the conscience of the society.

The HC asked BMC and the state excise department to conduct survey of eateries, bars, pubs and restaurants to see whether they are following rules, regulations and norms prescribed by the BMC and state. The High Court  also asked BMC to consider safety of roadside stalls, which cook and serve food in crowded area. The Bombay high court held that the tragedy was a result of the administration's failure to ensure strict adherence to fire safety norms.

A division bench of Justice R.M. Borde and Justice Rajesh Ketkar was hearing petition filed by Julio Ribeiro, former police commissioner of Mumbai who sought that the court should set up a judicial committee to set responsibility on the state government and BMC officials. He had also sought that a special investigation team be established to investigate the entire fire incident of Kamala Mills. The petition also sought that the fire audit of each and every hotel needs tobe done.

On Monday, senior counsel Anil Sakhare who appeared for BMC has informed the court that after the fire incident, the state had asked BMC to file a detailed report on the fire.

The court asked BMC to tell what steps it has taken after the fire incident. “There must be many hotels, which have violated the rules framed by the BMC to run eateries. Periodical check up needs to be done and if some one failes to follow the rules, he should be punished,” said the court.

The court also permitted the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association to intervene in the matter. The court has kept the matter on February 12 for further hearing.