Mumbai: Nine BMC staff found guilty in Kamala Mills fire

The fire at Kamala Mills had killed 14 people and injured several. File pic

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has found nine of its employees guilty after an inquiry in the Kamala Mills fire. The fire on December 29, 2017, killed 14 people and injured several others. The inquiry report was finalised and accepted by civic chief Ajoy Mehta just two days back.

The fire that gutted two restaurants, landed as many as 12 civic officials in trouble. Immediately a day after the fire, the BMC had suspended five officials. These five officials have been included in the list of the nine officials who were found guilty.

Following the blaze, a detailed report was submitted by Mehta to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Mehta had also initiated a detailed departmental inquiry against 12 employees. It is after 10 long months that the report was submitted to Mehta.

The probe was conducted by Additional Municipal Commissioner Vijay Singhal. During the course of the inquiry, charge sheets were filed, statements and evidence recorded and analysed by him before drafting the report. While the inquiry against the nine officials is complete, the probe against three others is still on.

A senior civic official said, "The lapses were serious on the part of the civic employees, as they allowed violations to take place knowingly."

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