Businesses go up in flames in just 40 hrs

Fire at Byculla mill destroys stock worth crores

Fire at Byculla mill destroys stock worth crores

In 40 hours, they lost their fortune. A major fire that engulfed the New Great Eastern Mill in Byculla last Wednesday resulted in a loss of crores of rupees for more than 20 businessmen.

"I had piled up all my stock at the warehouse since the demand was less because of recession.

I had never expected that a sudden fire would add to my woes," said businessman Hetal Awlani whose electrical equipment was destroyed in the fire.

Added Pradeep Modi, who has been using the warehouse for 15 years and incurred a loss of Rs 30 lakh, "It's impossible that a short circuit caused the fire.

SAD: Businessmen who lost their stock in the Byculla mill fire

We have lost all that we had earned and there is nobody listening to us." However, Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare said, "The cause of the fire is not known. We will have to wait till the final report is ready."

Another businessman echoed Awlani's sentiments. "We have faced a huge loss due to recession and now the fire at the warehouse has ruined our business.

The owner had apparently lost a case against the private company and in order to get the insurance money, set the entire mill on fire," he said.

A source revealed that the loss would be more, as many of the goods were damaged after the first-floor wooden ceiling of the building collapsed, trapping bundles of goods under it.
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"It will take time for fire brigade to clear all the debris. It contains lots of expensive goods that have been trapped."

Meanwhile, all the victims who lost goods worth crores of rupees in the fire have decided to take legal action against the owners.

Did you know?

Unlike other mills in the area that have shut down, the New Great Eastern Spinning and Weaving Mill is still a running unit, and earlier boasted of around 4,000 employees.

Subsequent to a major fire in 1995, most of the business was shut down. And it was only after strong pressure from the worker's union that a few sections were restarted.

Presently, the mill employs just 92 people - who work in 2 shifts - in its yarn making unit, a millworker disclosed.