New Delhi, Dec 31: Days after 14 people lost their lives in a massive fire that broke out at an upscale pub in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills compound, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials in Mumbai demolished illegal structures at 314 sites and sealed seven hotels. The civic body initiated an inspection drive of 624 restaurants, eateries and malls across the city and its suburbs and razed illegal, unauthorised structures at 314 sites, the BMC said in a release, adding it sealed seven hotels and seized around 417 LPG cylinders during the anti-encroachment drive.
Around one thousand staffers, under the supervision of senior BMC officials, carried out this entire process. Giving details of the inspection drive, a BMC spokesperson Ram Dotonde said,”The unauthorised hotels and restaurants, not only in central Mumbai, but also those located in the distant suburbs, such as Malad and Mulund, are facing action.”
Dotonde said that a major portion of the popular Zaffran Hotel, located opposite the police headquarters in south Mumbai, was removed. “There are 24 wards in Mumbai and each has three teams personally inspecting all the restaurants, pubs, food joints and eateries. Each team has 10 members, including officials from the health and administration departments and inspectors. Once the team finds an unauthorised structure, it is brought down immediately,” the BMC spokesperson said.
The civic body has reportedly directed its entire staff to remain on duty. Leave and weekly offs of the staff of several departments, including the anti-encroachment department, have been cancelled and they have been given a detailed list of restaurants and pubs, where violations were found during the preliminary inspection. The civic body has also asked its officials to form teams to ensure that restaurants and bars follow the safety norms, in view of the New Year parties.
The other areas where the drive was carried out included Shivaji Park, Mulund, Dahisar, Malad, the Parsi Gymkhana near Marine Lines, Grant Road, Andheri and Ghatkopar.
Earlier on Saturday, while speaking to news agency PTI, a senior police official said lookout notices were issued against Hitesh Sanghvi and Jigar Sanghvi, the co-owners of ‘1 Above’, the ill-fated Lower Parel pub where the fire took place. It was run by ‘C Grade Hospitality’.