More officials likely to face heat in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills fire probe

Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has given three months to the inquiry committee to submit a thorough report.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to charge sheet more civic officials in relation with the Kamala Mills blaze in the next three months. It is expected to issue additional charge sheets to the 12 officials accused of dereliction of duty.

The Kamala Mills blaze in Mumbai took away 14 lives.(HT File)

Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has given three months to the inquiry committee to submit a thorough
report.

Earlier this week, the BMC issued charge sheets against 12 civic officials from the G south ward office, fire department, and health and building proposals departments for dereliction of duty after an initial inquiry headed by additional municipal commissioner Vijay Singhal found them guilty. This included two senior civic officials — Prashant Sapkale, assistant commissioner of the G South ward at the time of the blaze and Bhagyashree Kapse, assistant commissioner of the ward when Mojo’s Bistro and 1Above were given their licences for the first time.

Mehta said, “The inquiry officer now has to look into every BMC notice sent to the two restaurants in the past year, match the dates of punitive action and issuance of licence. It is likely that more proof of negligence on behalf of civic officials will surface.” If any additional negligence is noticed in the case of these 12 officials, more charge sheets will be sent to them. It is also possible that more officials will be indicted. The BMC has given the 12 officials 10 days to reply after which it will conduct hearings.

The other 10 officials are health officer Dr Madan, fire officer R B Patil, sanitary inspector Pradip Shirke, building and factory department engineers Milind Vhatkak and Manohar Kulkarni, designated officer Madhukar Shelar, sub-engineer Dinesh Mahale, junior engineer Dhanraj Shinde, medical officer Dr Satish Badgire and assistant divisional fire officer SS Shinde.