MTNL ignored Mumbai fire department's warnings, say official

Fire broke out at MTNL building in Bandra West on July 22. File pic

The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd ignored our warnings, the fire department has stated in its latest findings on the blaze at MTNL's Bandra building on July 22. The report also revealed that the firefighting systems on the premises were found defunct even when they had reported a fire incident last year. A fire official said, "On inquiry, we found there was a minor fire call last year too, and we had fixed the building's firefighting system which was not in working condition. We had then issued a notice and asked them to comply with fire safety norms. They initially followed the instructions, but failed to maintain it thereafter."

Based on the report of ill-maintenance, MTNL has suspended two of its employees. Chief Fire Officer PS Rahangdale said, "After the July 22 fire incident, two officials - Sr. Manager S D Pandit Rao and Deputy Manager R B Yadav - were suspended by the MTNL. Our officials also lodged an FIR by at the Bandra police station on August 5." The fire department had, on July 29, issued notice to the MTNL for "deficiencies found in regards of fire safety measures, such as missing fire detection and defunct firefighting systems", he added. While the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, the fire department has said the incident took place in the electric wirings above the false ceiling of the second and a half floor.

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