Spark in BMC head office wiring leads to panic

A spark in the electrical wiring and a burning smell on the first floor of the civic body headquarters led to panic on Friday morning.

A spark in the electrical wiring and a burning smell on the first floor of the civic body headquarters led to panic on Friday morning.

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An employee from the Public Relations Office, on the first floor, immediately informed the disaster management cell after which electricity to the first floor of the building was cut off for 45 minutes till technicians repaired the faulty wiring system.

After the Mantralaya fire, a few employees from each floor of the BMC headquarters were given a basic course on what to do if a fire broke out. The course proved useful on Friday after the employee noticing the spark in the wiring immediately informed the authorities and prevented possible damage.

“It happened outside our office, after which we immediately informed the concerned department. We will check the reason why that happened,” said Vijay Khabale, chief PRO of the

civic body. According to civic officials, the old wiring at the headquarters is the major problem. “It could not take the load and must have resulted in the spark,” said an official.

The disaster management cell has been training the employees in fire safety measures and till date around 150 employees have been successfully trained. A few employees from each department have been designated as ‘field marshals’ in case of emergencies.