Two Shapoorji Pallonji officers booked in Mulund labour camp fire incident

The accused have been identified as Nilesh Khot, Shapoorji Pallonji’s administration head, and Satish Jadhav, a safety officer

MUMBAI: Two employees of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd have been booked for negligence, four days after a massive fire broke out at a labour camp near a building being constructed by the real estate major in Mulund. There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Two Shapoorji Pallonji officers booked in Mulund labour camp fire incident

The accused have been identified as Nilesh Khot, Shapoorji Pallonji’s administration head, and Satish Jadhav, a safety officer. According to the police, the camp, which housed around 300 workers, was overcrowded and lacked basic fire safety measures, including adequate evacuation routes. No fire safety audit had been conducted, officers said.

The fire broke out at a labour camp near Kelkar College in Navghar, Mulund East, where Shapoorji Pallonji is constructing a building for project-affected people (PAP). Seven gas cylinders exploded during the blaze, forcing workers to evacuate the congested ground-plus-two-storey structures. While nobody was injured in the incident, the fire brigade had to make considerable efforts to bring the fire under control, officers said, adding that the cause of the blaze has not been determined yet.

“While building the labour camps, the administrative manager and others didn’t take permissions. They did not take care of the labourers, nor did they think of fire safety. Ten to twelve labourers sleep in one room, and around 300 labourers in total are staying in congested rooms with no proper roads. No fire audit of the place has been carried out; there was no thought of an alternate path in case of a fire,” said a police officer.

Shapoorji Pallonji is executing the project as a contractor for East Pune Realty, which was appointed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). HT reached out to Shapoorji Pallonji for a comment, but didn’t receive any till the time of going to press.

The two accused have been booked under sections 125 (rash or negligent act endangering human life or the personal safety of others) and 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act and the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act.