Nalasopara Hotel fire: Contractor, JCB operator charged for negligence

A case has been registered against a contractor and JCB operator for negligence leading to a fire incident at Dwarka Hotel in Nalasopara.

Mumbai: Four days following the fire incident at Nalasopara’s Dwarka Hotel, the Achhole police have taken action, registering a case against the contractor and a JCB operator for negligence. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the accused duo following a thorough probe, which purportedly revealed that negligence during excavation work on an adjoining road led to a gas pipeline igniting.

The First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the accused duo following a thorough probe. Representational Image. (HT Photo/Bachchan Kumar)

Last Tuesday, the Dwarka Hotel in Achole at Nalasopara caught fire, after which the cylinders in the hotel exploded, resulting in the destruction of the entire building. Eight persons, including hotel staff and customers, suffered injuries and were admitted to various hospitals in Vasai-Virar.

In the investigation, it was revealed that there was excavation work underway for a sewage drain on the road adjacent to the hotel premises. Due to the alleged negligence of the JCB driver, the pipeline of Gujarat Gas, a distributor of natural gas, which runs underneath the ground at that spot, got damaged, leading to the leakage of gas. The incident took place at 3:30 pm, after which the entire premises were evacuated.

Based on the investigations, the Achole police on Saturday registered a case against the contractor of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), who was awarded the contract for attending to the sewage drain work. Based on the complaint, the FIR was registered against the contractor, the JCB driver, and others under sections 285 (using fire in a negligent manner to endanger human life), 336 (rash and negligent act), 337 (causing hurt by rash and negligent act), 338 (causing grievous hurt by rash and negligent act), 427 (causing mischief), along with section 138 of the Indian Electricity Regulatory Act.

Police Sub-Inspector Mangesh Vadne, from the Achole police station, said that the police have written a letter to the VVMC, warning them that the drainage work has to be undertaken with caution to prevent any untoward incident that may result in the loss of life. “We are still trying to find out who the contractor was. We will arrest him soon,” the police officer from Achole police station said.