HC to Govt: What action will you take against Make in India contractors

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted three weeks time to the Maharashtra government to spell out the action it proposes to initiate against the contractor, whom it had given the responsibility to organise the Make in India event at Girgaum Chowpatty, in February 2016. A division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla granted three-weeks period after taking a note of the official report submitted before it by a High Courtappointed committee. The report, specifically blamed the contractors for the massive fire which considerably damaged not only the event but also the beach. “We have perused this report and noted its contents. We now want to know from the government of the action, if any, it proposes to initiate against the contractors. We think the government must consider the enormous damage the fire caused to the beach, while taking its decision,” Justice Oka said. The committee placed on record the report prepared by the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of city’s fire brigade department. The report, which is also available on the official website of the BMC, states that the presence of highly combustible materials near the stage, caused the massive fire. It further states that the organisers paid no heed to the repeated instructions given by the fire brigade. “The organisers were given repeated instructions to abide by the fire safety norms. However, no heed was paid by the contractors and this shows their willful negligence. The organisers were specifically asked not to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, however, at least 15 such cylinders were found at the site,” the report reads. The report further claims that the pyrotechnics that were to be used during performances on the stage, contributed to the fire.

-Staff Reporter