Bandra blaze: Two MTNL staff under fire for negligence

According to the fire brigade, the blaze began on the second floor due to a spark in the tube light fittings above the false ceiling.

In the wake of the July 22 fire at Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited’s (MTNL) Bandra office, the Mumbai fire brigade on Monday lodged a first information report (FIR) against two MTNL employees responsible for maintaining the fire-fighting system. The MTNL, too, had suspended the duo – senior manager SD Panditrao and deputy manager RB Yadav – after the fire for their negligence.

Fire breaks out in MTNL building at Bandra in Mumbai. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times) (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

According to the fire brigade, the blaze began on the second floor due to a spark in the tube light fittings above the false ceiling. The fire quickly spread up to the eighth floor of the nine-storey building, trapping 84 people and employees on its rooftop. After three hours of firefighting and rescue operations, the fire brigade rescued all trapped people. The fire was doused in 22 hours.

The fire brigade has sent a notice to the MTNL under the Maharashtra Fire Act, for deficiencies in its fire safety measures at the Bandra building. “The authorities failed to maintain the system in a working condition. So we have issued a notice and filed an FIR against the authority,” said chief fire officer P Rahangdale.

A minor fire was reported at the building last year too. At that time, the fire brigade noticed that the firefighting system of the building did not work. After a notice from the fire brigade, the authorities ensured compliance with rules. According to MTNL, the most recent fire audit of its Bandra building was conducted on July 12, 2018, in which the building was found to be fire-compliant.