Police official and a fireman at the spot where at least six people died and 11 were injured, after a gas cylinder exploded on the ground floor of an under-construction building at Juhu. (PTI/ File Photo)
AFTER A cylinder explosion at Juhu’s Prathana building left seven dead recently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to crack the whip on roadside vendors illegally using gas cylinders for cooking. An official said the civic body has filed police complaints against 124 such offenders in the last one month. However, so far, police have registered offences against only 22 such food vendors.
While BMC officials said the action was taken following the directions of BMC commissioner, activists and elected representatives countered their claim. In the last one month, the civic body has seized 391 cylinders, filed 22 FIRs and made 124 police complaints. A senior official from the encroachment department said, “We will continue the drive to avoid a Juhu-like incident, where a cylinder exploded at an under-construction building, killing seven.”
Meanwhile, in a series of tweets, BJP MLA from Andheri Ameet Satam targeted Mumbai Police Commissioner and the BMC chief for their alleged inaction against food vendors openly using gas cylinders. “Raided Manish Nagar footpath illegal cooking on road/footpath. Under the nose of Manish Nagar beat chowky. Do you have shame?” asked Satam, tagging BMC and Mumbai Police. In another tweet, he said, “We need to reclaim our footpaths by getting rid of these live bombs on roads/ footpaths.”
In April this year, after receiving flak from its councillors, some 44 cylinders were seized by the civic body from various areas in K-West Ward (Andheri, Juhu). However, these hawkers/vendors were seen back in business within a week. BMC officials said this was not the first time they had cracked down on such offenders. “Cooking on road/footpaths is not allowed as per the court orders. We have been time and gain taking action against such offenders. We are now looking at measures, which will make it difficult for them the repeat the offence,” said an official.
