Mumbai: A day after a massive blaze gutted top floors of the Maharashtra secretariat in Mumbai, an RTI activist on Friday said the mishap could have been averted had the government implemented suggestions in a fire safety audit report in 2008.
"Police cases should be filed against officials of the Public Works Department and General Administrative Department for negligence of fire safety audit norms," Athak Seva Sangh chairman and RTI activist Anil Galgali has said in a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik.
"The fire safety audit was done in 2008 and a report was submitted to the state government in September 2008," he said.
The report mentioned 32 potential hazards such as civil and electrical defects, encroachment due to parking of vehicles in open space around the building, files and old records strewn on the floors, storage of scrap material on all floors and use of cylinders for cooking on some floors, Galgali said....
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09:24 AM, Jun 23, 2012
Mumbai: Five people have died, and 14 were injured, in the blaze that engulfed the Mumbai Mantralaya on Thursday. As 3000 people were steadily evacuated from the blazing state secretariat, five found themselves trapped with nowhere to run. Three of them, from Baramati and Akola, were visitors to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's office. Mahesh Ghugale had gone to meet Pawar, with his friend Umesh Potekar, for help with his...
07:08 AM, Jun 23, 2012
As fire engulfed the Maharashtra Mantralaya building on Thursday, five brave men put their lives in danger to climb atop the towering inferno to lower the Tricolour. The men refused to come down till they had lowered the national flag. ...
06:49 PM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: As fire engulfed the Maharashtra Mantralaya building on Thursday, five brave men put their lives in danger to climb atop the towering inferno to lower the Tricolor. The men refused to come down till they had lowered the national flag. As the fire spread, these men stood by the flag pole ready to protect it from the flames. The Triclour was hoisted at the Mantralaya office on Friday afternoon....
02:41 PM, Jun 22, 2012
The Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader expresses surpise at the fact that the Chief Minister's office had miraculously not been affected by the fire. ...
11:53 AM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: The fire at the Mantralaya building which houses the state secretariat in Mumbai has finally been doused. Firefighters worked through the night on Thursday to bring the blaze under control. With the recovery of two more bodies on Friday morning the death toll has risen to five, one of whom is yet to be identified. Several people are still believed to be missing. Over 3,000 people were evacuated to...
09:05 AM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: Amid apprehensions that several important files relating to the Adarsh Housing Society scam may have been destroyed in today's fire at 'Mantralaya', officials of CBI and the judicial panel probing it said they have copies of all relevant documents. As a massive fire engulfed several floors of the 7-storey state government secretariat building, housing among others the Urban Development department, in the eye of the Adarsh controversy, there were...
07:11 PM, Jun 21, 2012
According to Relief Works Minister Patangrao Kadam, the fire broke out due to a short circuit. ...
05:29 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Thick smoke was seen outside the windows of the fourth floor of the building and no causalities have been reported so far. ...
05:17 PM, Jun 21, 2012
A major fire broke out in Maharashtra state secretariat on Thursday afternoon. The fire was reported from the cabin of Maharashtra state minister and NCP leader Babanrao Pachpute. ...
04:56 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Mumbai: A major fire broke out in Maharashtra state secretariat on Thursday afternoon. The fire was reported from the cabin of Maharashtra state minister and NCP leader Babanrao Pachpute. Several people are reported to be trapped inside the building. According to Relief Works Minister Patangrao Kadam, the fire broke out due to a short circuit. While two people have been admitted to a hospital due to suffocation, several others are...
03:28 PM, Jun 21, 2012
