E-Paper
BMC shuts down Chhabildas’s illegal kitchen, banquet hall
Chief fire officer Sanjay Manjrekar confirmed that the education department had shut down the unauthorised kitchen. “We have conducted a joint drive with the health department and confiscated all kitchen equipment,” he said
Mumbai: After a recent gas leak that injured three labourers on the premises of Chhabildas, the well-known Dadar school, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) woke up from its slumber and realised that the banquet hall on the school premises had been operating illegally for almost four years. The hall and kitchen have now been closed by the civic body.
On November 2, Hindustan Times had reported how a stockpile of nine LPG cylinders on the second floor of the CBSE school exploded after a gas leak, damaging the building and injuring three labourers. HT has now learnt that the banquet hall did not have the requisite permissions from the BMC’s health, education and fire departments. Interestingly, the G (North) ward office is just a yard away from the school premises, and the fact that it was oblivious to all the events organised since 2019 bears thinking about.
The school’s banquet hall is famous in the congested Dadar locality and the most sought-after venue by Maharashtrians for parties, weddings, engagements, and even corporate seminars.
Dr Virendra Mohite, the BMC’s medical officer of health said, “The banquet hall had no permission from our department. There are fees to be given to the education department, permissions and a license to be procured to conduct events,” he said. “None of these were taken. They started the kitchen operations post-Covid and also recently renovated the hall.”
Dr Mohite said that even if permission was granted to the banquet hall in future, catered food would have to be served to guests. “We will not allow cooking inside the school premises. At the most, it can be allowed on the ground floor and with requisite permissions from the health ministry and fire brigade,” he averred.
Chief fire officer Sanjay Manjrekar confirmed that the education department had shut down the unauthorised kitchen. “We have conducted a joint drive with the health department and confiscated all kitchen equipment,” he said.
When Shailendra Salvi, chairman of Chhabildas, was contacted, he confirmed that the banquet had been functioning since 2019 and was shut during the pandemic.
When asked whether permissions were obtained for the banquet hall, Salvi admitted, “The banquet hall is in the BMC’s approved plan. But we did not procure a license to conduct events and it was our mistake. We have decided to close the banquet hall for now.”
A contrite Salvi said that such oversights had never happened in the long history of the school. “The only reason we used to let out our banquet hall was to generate some revenue to run our schools,” he said. “This isn’t a profit-making organisation. We have been running this school for the last 130 years without any political interference.”
Salvi, to his credit, did not shy away from taking the rap. “The contractor may have erred in not getting a license from the BMC but the onus to ensure that all permissions were in place was on us as well, as functions were conducted on our premises. So the contractor cannot be entirely blamed,” he said.
The school opens next Monday as repair works are still under way. Until then online classes are being conducted for the 350 students on the rolls. The existing bookings for events have been transferred by the contractor to other venues.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
