dna has found that illegal shops have cropped up around Manish Market and Mohatta Market, which are being run on illegal electric meters. To make matters worse, there are no mandatory fire safety measures or even adequate exit points to evacuate people in the event of a fire in these locations.
The Kalbadevi fire on May 9, which resulted in the death of three firefighters and seriously injured a few others, has brought into focus all the congested markets in South Mumbai, which are potential disasters-in-waiting.
dna has found that illegal shops have cropped up around Manish Market and Mohatta Market, which are being run on illegal electric meters. To make matters worse, there are no mandatory fire safety measures or even adequate exit points to evacuate people in the event of a fire in these locations.
According to a few shopkeepers in the area, the BEST Undertaking had installed a few temporary meters after the November 26, 2011, fire, which had completely destroyed Manish Market and Sara-Sahara Market area. Not only are these meters still being used, but illegal electric connections have been set up by shops in the surrounding areas. The BEST, however, seems unaware of these goings-on.
Two shops were gutted in a fire that broke out in Green House Shopping Centre near Mohatta Market last Saturday. While Jagdish Patil, BEST general manager, did not respond to calls, fire officials claimed that the goods in both shops were equally hazardous and "there were no adequate fire safety measures in the shops, let alone the shopping centre", according to fire official. He, however, refused to comment on temporary meters.
Though the official reason for the fire at Green House is not known from the fire report, sources revealed that the meter used by the shopkeepers there is the one installed by the BEST as a temporary one on November 26, 2011.
Traders from the area claimed that the meter was connected with at least 3,000 intercom phone lines, apart from electrical appliances, and this load can't be sustained by a temporary meter, ultimately leading to short circuit.
"There are several shops in Green House using same the meter. Every shop uses at least four tubelights and two fans. There are fans and tubelights in the passage too. The temporary meter cannot take heavy load and sparks off frequently," said one.
Traders also claimed that there was one person in the area known to take up contracts for fixing illegal meters. There is a fixed amount which one has to pay for the required power supply. And yet again, BEST officials are apparently in the dark about this nexus too.
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