As part of the massive drive against illegal constructions undertaken by them across the metropolis in the wake of December 29 Kamala Mills compound blaze, the BMC officials on Friday pulled down 52 more unauthorised structures and sealed nine illegal eateries in the city.
With the latest action, the BMC has demolished 913 unauthorised structures and sealed 55 establishments ever since its anti-encroachment department officials launched a drive against illegal constructions on December 30.
For the past 14 days, the BMC officials have — as part their efforts to ascertain if bars, hotels and other eateries are complying with fire safety and other norms prescribed by the civic body — been both demolishing unauthorised structures.
During the operation carried out on Friday, the BMC officials inspected as many as 397 hotels across the city, taking the total number of the eateries inspected to 2,538. “Apart from demolishing 52 illegal structures, we have issued inspection reports to 271 hotels directing them to make necessary improvements in their fire set-ups,” a senior BMC official said. “In addition, we have seized 197 gas cylinders during our drive. With this total number of gas cylinders seized by us has gone up to 1,410,” the civic official said.
Coming as it did in the wake of the December 29 blaze in which 14 persons were killed and 55 others injured, the BMC’s massive campaign has unnerved hoteliers across the metropolis. For, this is for the first that the BMC has undertaken such a large-scale inspection of pubs, hotels and other eateries across the city.
“In all 24 zones across the city, our 52 teams have been carrying out fire safety and health inspections in various hotels and other establishments. Each team comprises officials from the fire brigade, public health, building and factory departments,” the BMC official said. The teams have been trying to ascertain if the owners of the various hotels and other establishments have either encroached or undertaken illegal constructions in and around their establishments.