Saki Naka fire: Mumbai civic chief suspends sanitary inspector

The investigative report submitted to civic chief Ajoy Mehta also suggested that four officers of the building and factory department will face departmental inquiry.

Following the fire in Saki Naka that killed 12 migrant workers, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has suspended a senior sanitary inspector, Jagdish Gyandev Sawant, for negligence.

A fire at a at a snack-making company at Khairani Road in Sakinaka killed 12 workers. (Shashi S Kashyap/HT)

The investigative report submitted to civic chief Ajoy Mehta also suggested that four officers of the building and factory department will face departmental inquiry.

The report concludes that the fire was caused by a short circuit.

The sanitation officer is responsible for surveying the areas, checking commercial properties and suggesting actions if illegalities are found. The report reads that no permission was given to the shop from the health department.

It had not received any no-objection certificate from the fire department. As appropriate action was not taken by the sanitary officer, the report suggested the suspension of the officer.

The report was accepted by the civic chief and appropriate actions were ordered.

Fire broke out on the ground floor of the snack factory on December 18 at Khairani Road. The collapse of the structure and blocked passages by illegal cylinders proved it difficult for the workers to escape.

Following the incident, Mehta had ordered the head of the central purchases department, Ram Dhas, to submit an inquiry report.

The report also states that the area does not fall under the jurisdiction of the BMC and thus it was difficult to identify the illegal construction of a mezzanine floor. However, it is expected that the ward officers should have forwarded any kind of malpractices noticed in the area to the concerned authorities.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated against the officers of building and factory department which will be carried out by the assistant municipal commissioner of the L ward (Kurla).