15 March,2011 06:35 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Was it a heated argument, short-circuit or sabotage? Multiple theories and conflicting eyewitness reports means the probe on the Bandra slum fire remains inconclusive
The probe into the Garib Nagar fire, which gutted around 700 shanties in the Bandra slum and rendered at least 2,000 people homeless, has turned out to be inconclusive, with fire officials failing to zero in on the exact cause of the blaze.
The fire at Garib Nagar rendered 2,000 people homeless
The fire officials seem lost in multiple theories they have woven around the blaze. If one theory said a fight between two groups in the area was the reason behind the fire, another harped on the short circuit formula.
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But, they could not rule the third and most potent theory of slum fires in the city sabotage allegedly by builders drooling over the prized property.
Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare told MiD DAY that the report was inconclusive as the investigating fire officer has come across conflicting witnesses, making it difficult for them to zero in on the exact reason for fire.
Tatkare added, "We have submitted our report to senior BMC officials for perusal before it is formally handed over to the departments concerned, including the police."
Additional Chief Municipal Commissioner (West) Manisha Mhaiskar confirmed receiving a report on the fire and that it was inconclusive.
Abhay Kale, Assistant Divisional Officer who probed the incident, said, "I had questioned more than 20 eyewitnesses who were present at the spot before the fire tenders arrived. But their statements were conflicting and they could not be corroborated."
According to fire officials, if some eyewitnesses said the fire started soon after a fight broke out between two groups, the others pointed out that the blaze started due to a short-circuit.
And some did not rule out the possibility of a sabotage as there was talk in the locality of a redevelopment in the area days before the incident took place.
Around 250 firemen, 30 fire tenders, 12 tankers and ambulances were pressed into service to douse the fire in an area of 400X250 sq m that housed around 700 shanties. Kale clarified that the fire did not spread due to the breeze.
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The inflammable materials that were used to construct the shanties were to blame for that, he said. This is not the first time the fire department has dished out an inconclusive report.
Even in the 2009 Behrampada fire, where hundreds of shanties were gutted, the department had failed to arrive at a
conclusion.
Surprisingly, the Nirmal Nagar police have just made a station diary entry about the fire at Garib Nagar and no case has been registered.
Senior Police Inspector Prashant Bagade said, "We have questioned a few witnesses from the area, and prima-facie it seems to be a case of a short-circuit.
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However, we are still awaiting the fire department's report to confirm the exact cause of the fire."
When Bagade was informed that the report was inconclusive, he said, "Our case will remain open, until we ascertain the exact reason."
Other possible reasonsu00a0for the fire
Storage of LPG, PNG, CNG cylinders: People keep these cylinders just about anywhere, without taking adequate precaution. In many cases, children have easy access to these cylinders.u00a0
Underground cables: When various authorities dig up roads for a variety of reasons, they often cut through underground electric cables, which trigger sparks, leading to a fire.u00a0
Storage of unauthorised scrap material in godowns: Several such godowns are located in Kurla, Mankhurd, Veera Desai Road and the industrial area of Andheri (west). Since chemical substances are also stored illegally at various godowns, explosions which lead to fires are quite common.u00a0
The chulha: Slum dwellers often use the chulha for cooking. Paired with negligence, this is one of the biggest causes of fire in these areas.
Local MP Priya Dutt says...
"I would like to speak to the investigating authorities about their findings and even make an appeal to the government and Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan to look for long-term rehabilitation solutions for people living in shanties and also emphasise on low-cost housing," Dutt said.
She added, "The state government has given a compensation of Rs 30,000 to the victims. There are many PAP accommodations available, but people do not want to shift to far off places such as Mankhurd. The government is likely to set up a committee soon to understand the core issue of rehabilitation."
250
No of firemen that were pressed into service to douse the fire
