Warehouse owner booked for negligence in Maharashtra

PUNE: The Lonikand police on Wednesday arrested the 40-year-old owner of the warehouse in Wagholi that caught fire on May 6, which resulted in the death of three workers.
The police have booked Ashish Agarwal, owner of Shubh Sajawat decorative items, under section 304 (a) of the IPC (negligence causing death). Initially, a case of accidental death was registered.
"Investigation into the matter revealed that the owner had not taken necessary permissions from regulatory authorities and had not adhered to fire safety norms. He also allowed the three victims, all hailing from West Bengal, to illegally stay there without any safety measures," senior inspector Gajanan Pawar said. According to Pawar, an inspection of the warehouse revealed a lack of fire safety equipment and hanging old electricity wires.
"We have written to the PMC, PMRDA, fire brigade, MSEDCL and Zilla Parishad to inspect the warehouse and submit reports to the police at the earliest," Pawar said.