In the wake of the recent fire at Times Tower in Mumbai, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has called for a comprehensive fire safety audit of all hotels, malls, hospitals, commercial complexes, and schools in Navi Mumbai.
The party has urged for thorough inspections of fire safety systems in these establishments, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance.
The NCP also alleged that despite the rising number of fire incidents in Navi Mumbai, the civic fire department has been neglecting its responsibilities. "The department has been issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to commercial establishments based on certificates from private companies without proper scrutiny," said Tushar Kachre, District President of the Health Cell of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
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A delegation from the NCP submitted a memorandum to the divisional fire officer, warning that if inspections were not conducted at all key locations within the next 10 days, the party would launch protests.
The recent fire at the 14-storey Times Tower in Kamla Mills Compound, Lower Parel, occurred on Friday morning. It took the Mumbai Fire Brigade around four hours to extinguish the flames, with nine fire engines deployed at the scene.
Present at the submission of the memorandum were Navi Mumbai District General Secretary Nitin Nana Chavan, City President Rupesh Thakur, District Health Cell President Tushar Kachare, and party members Sandeep Mohite, Vishwajit Bhoite, Ram Pujare, and Ketan Vaikar, among others.