Bandra slum fire stalls demolition, also sends train services for a toss
Behrampada residents claim BMC did not give them adequate notice before demolition
A major fire broke out at Behrampada in Bandra east near the railway station, destroying more than 50 houses in the slum and forcing the railway authorities to halt train services on the Harbour Line. The overhead pedestrian bridge at the station, one of Mumbai's busiest, was also engulfed in flames in rush hour, causing much commotion.
This is not the first incident of its kind and those who are familiar with the pattern say that such blazes in the area invariably precede demolition drives.
The BMC officials told Free Press Journal that Thursday’s fire too broke out during the demolition drive against illegal slum structures. It was described as a level IV fire, which erupted in of the shanties after a cylinder blast, right beneath the railway ticket counter on the east.
Owing to narrow lanes and the multiple duplex shanties, the fire brigade took 45 minutes to reach the spot. It took several hours to douse and the fire engines and tankers, carrying more than 14, 000 litres of water, were sent back for a refill.
“The fire vehicles struggled hard to reach the spot due to the traffic congestion and the narrow approach road. Sixteen fire tenders and 12 water tankers had to be deployed,” said the Chief Fire Officer.
The entire eastern side of Bandra railway station was blocked and the traffic on the approach roads towards the station was diverted. The skywalk connecting the railway station was shut and the fire was confined to hutments in an area of about 300×300.
A senior official said at least two more cylinders exploded after the initial blast, and there were concerns about the blaze worsening as many more LPG cylinders were stacked in the dense slum. “We received a call about the fire at 3.18 p.m. and by 4.20 p.m. the fire had been declared a Level IV disaster, the second most serious category in disaster management,” said PS Rahangdale, the Chief Fire Officer.
A senior official of the BMC said they had started a three-day demolition drive to clear the area of encroachments. “This is not the first time that a fire has broken out; earlier also, in 2016, a massive fire had broken out in the same area,” added an official.
A slum resident blamed the BMC for the fire. Alam Shaikh, a Behrampada resident, said, "The officials did not take any precautionary measures before the demolition which led to a short circuit." A senior fire official on the spot said, "It is difficult to ascertain the cause of the fire. One of the cylinders exploded right below the ticket counter on the eastern side of the railway station. The fire must have spread to more than 100 houses."