Raheja Residency fire: Society manager, fire safety contractor booked for negligence

The police said the society’s fire prevention system failed to control the spread of the blaze due to long pending repairs and unreported faults

NAVI MUMBAI: The police have registered a case against two people responsible for overseeing the fire safety system at Raheja Residency, a housing society in Vashi, following a devastating blaze in October which claimed four lives and caused extensive property damage.

The police have registered a case against two people responsible for overseeing the fire safety system at Raheja Residency, a housing society in Vashi, following a devastating blaze in October which claimed four lives and caused extensive property damage. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO / BACHCHAN KUMAR)

The fire had broken out on the 10th, 11th and 12th floors of the B-wing in the early hours of October 21. The incident raised serious concerns whether the building had proper fire safety measures and whether those responsible had been careless.

On Monday, the Vashi police booked Pradeep Bhimrao Patil, 41, of Life Save Fire Services, a private company providing fire safety solutions, and Sanjay Vitthal Ubale, 50, the manager of Raheja Residency. Both the accused were responsible for supervising and maintaining the society’s fire-fighting system.

An investigating officer said, “The society’s fire prevention system failed to control the spread of the blaze due to long pending repairs and unreported faults.” The police added that the assessment report by the electricity department found the executive of the private agency and the society manager responsible for the incident. “Accordingly, a case has been lodged and notices have been issued to them,” said the police officer.

The assessment report cited gross negligence on the part of the accused and stated that they failed to alert the society’s office-bearers and residents about crucial shortfalls in the fire safety system, which proved inadequate when the fire erupted.

The tragic incident took the lives of four residents, including three members of a family, Sundar Balakrishnan, 43, his wife Pooja Rajan, 40, their daughter Vedika Rajan, 6, and a senior citizen Kamla Hiralal Jain, 84. The fire, likely caused by a short circuit on the tenth floor of the 12-storeyed building, also caused severe damage to flats on the affected floors.

The police said the case has been registered under section 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, noting that the accused’s negligence directly contributed to the death and destruction.