Dreams Mall fire: Mumbai civic body will not extend licence of Sunrise Hospital

The civic body has maintained that the hospital should get permanent occupation certificate (OC) and no objection certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB).

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to not extend the license of Sunrise Hospital in Bhandup’s Dreams Mall where nine Covid-19 patients lost their lives due to a fire reported on March 25. The civic body has maintained that the hospital should get permanent occupation certificate (OC) and no objection certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB).

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According to BMC officials, the BMC gave permission to the hospital in May last to run as a Covid-19 hospital till March 31 this year. The hospital was also given permission to operate on the basis of provisional OC and NOC from MFB.

On March 25 around 11.45pm, a level-four fire was reported inside Dreams Mall which also houses Sunrise Hospital on the third floor. The fire was reported on the first floor of the mall and took around 40 hours to douse.

Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC, said, “We are not going to extend the permission for now. We are very clear that the hospital should get permanent OC and fire NOC, after which we will give them further permission.”

BMC has also ordered an enquiry into the fire incident and the report is expected to come out by April 10.

Reacting to BMC’s decision, Sunrise Hospital in a statement said, “The hospital had all required permissions including the fire NOC, OC and nursing home license. All the compliances were completed and hence the provisional OC was given. The issue is with the mall administrator for not fulfilling the required compliances leading to the tragedy. We have given our complaints to the authority against the administrator too.”

Meanwhile, corporators from all the political parties raised the matter in BMC’s standing committee demanding action against guilty officers. Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh said, “I have written to BMC administration to take action against the guilty officers who gave permission for operation of the hospital by overlooking several factors that has resulted in death of Covid-19 patients.”