Kamala Mills owner violated FSI rules, eateries flouted safety rules

Mojo Bistro, 1Above divided open terrace among themselves with partition of combustible material

MUMBAI: According to the report submitted by the three-member committee appointed by the Bombay high court (HC) to enquire into the December 2017 fire at Kamala Mills, Ramesh Govani, co-owner of the Mills, committed serious violations of the Development Control Regulation (DCR)-58 and illegally consumed excess floor space index (FSI). The report was submitted to the HC last week and the court heard the case on September 11.

The committee, comprising former justice Arvind Sawant, architect Vasant Thakur and former municipal commissioner K Nalinakshan, held Govani responsible for the fire that led to the loss of 14 lives and injured 50 last year because the compound did not have the no-objection certificates (NOCS) that it should have got from Brihanmumbai

Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The committee has also found the owners of two restobars, Mojo Bistro and 1Above, guilty of violations and held them indirectly responsible for the deadly fire.

“It is crystal clear that the fire originated in the southern corner of the terrace occupied by Mojo

Bistro, where a pedestal fan was kept to ensure that the coal segree kept the charcoal burning,” said the report. “The owners of both restaurants committed flagrant violations in converting the entire open terrace into two fullfledged restaurants divided by a partition of highly combustible material and covered by equally inflammable material.”

According to the committee, the rooftop restaurants also blocked the fire escapes. Referring to 1Above, the report noted that “the rear side the staircase for escape from the terrace was completely blocked by stacking inflammable material such as kerosene, coal and liquor and the entire terrace was used for smoking and serving Hookah ... Similar violations were found at Mojo Bistro.”

Govani was also charged with utilising an FSI of 2.66 – double the existing FSI of 1.33 given to information technology (IT) parks – in the Kamala Mills compound and not ensuring that 80% of the built-up area was used for It-related purposes.

The report also said mechanical engineer Sanjay Korabu, electrical engineer Suresh Londhe, both joint directors of Industries; and mechanical engineer AT Patil, deputy director of industries, were grossly negligent in discharge of their duties. Anil Chaskar, superintendent of state excise, Sandeep More, inspector of state excise, and Vijay Thorat, inspector at state excise, were named for being negligent in the discharge of their duties.