Mumbai : Expressing doubts over the cause of Deonar fire, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Tuesday said that someone seems to have ignited the massive fire and the municipal corporation is investigating the matter seriously.
A special committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Achrekar to investigate into the matter and it will submit the report within a month. Besides this, Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar is also personally investigating the cause of fire, Mehta said.
Fire fighters from the BMC are still fighting with the massive fire that erupted in the Deonar landfill. The BMC officials say that fire fighters are facing limitations as the wet garbage emitting smoke continuously and the poor roads creating hurdles in free movement of the fire engines.
Mehta further informed that the civic body has bought 100 kilogram Magnesium Chloride to help douse the fire. Even debris has been spread to make ways inside the dumping ground for easy movement of fire engines.
Meanwhile, political parties have started protesting against the BMC administration’s lethargic attitude towards Deonar fire. On Tuesday, more than 30 Congress corporators led by Group Leader Bala Amberkar protested outside the Municipal Commissioner’s office in the BMC headquarters. Corporators expressed their anger against BMC for ignoring the residents living in the hazardous smoke affected areas.
The Nationalist Congress Party activists led by city unit chief Sachin Ahir also staged a protest rally marching from Hussain Nagar to Shivaji Nagar in Deonar alleging that gasses emitting from the smoke are causing health hazards. Even school going children from the area are skipping their schools.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar said, “We have doubts that the fire was intentionally ignited. The case has been registered in this regard and we are investigating it further. The matter is very serious and we need to find and punish who is doing such mischief,” Padsalgikar added.
Mayor Snehal Ambekar also visited the Deonar dumping ground and took stock of the situation. She said that the administration is aware that local residents are suffering from the smoke but fire brigade personnel are trying their best to douse the fire.
