Days after a minor fire broke out at the Cosmic Height tower in Wadala due to installation of poor fire safety equipment, residents now say that a major fire is waiting to happen if the faulty equipment are not replaced immediately.
The residents alleged that the builder, Ajmera developer, has not connected the two wings of this 29-storey tower. If constructed, the interconnecting bridge could be used as an escape route during emergency situations, said the residents. “When we sought the original building plan from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, it came to light that both the wings of the tower were connected on paper,” said Martin D’Souza, a representative of the Cosmic Heights’ managing committee.
The refuse flats of these two wings were connected also. Out of the 20, hardly four fire extinguishers were working on the fire day. “We borrowed fire extinguishers from the neighbouring building to douse the fire. Even the fire brigade personnel were struggling to enter our tower as there was no proper access route. The width of the existing approach road is hardly 10 meters, which should have been 80 meters,” he said.
The fire alarm and hydrant were also dysfunctional. “The fire hydrant should have been connected either to a separate electric supply or generator. When the power supply to the entire building was cut off, that time, the fire hydrant electric supply was suspended,” said another resident. “Despite several requests to rectify the fire safety equipment, the developer is yet to take initiative. We are not hitting out at the builder, we are just highlighting our plight so that others moving into high-rises must ensure that all safety equipment are in place. The developer is also building another tower within the complex,” D’Souza added.
However, the developer is in refusal mood. Dhaval Ajmera, director of Ajmear Realty and Infra India,said, “They had handed over the building to the society in 2007, so there is no point raising finger towards developers. Almost after five years, the residents are raising this issue,” he said.
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