Mumbai: Permissions granted to Bandra’s Link Square Mall, where a massive fire raged on for over 21 hours last week and caused widespread destruction, have come under BMC’s scrutiny.
The civic body has sought documents and reports from various departments, including its building proposal department and the H-West ward office, to assess, among other things, whether any alterations were made to the two-decade-old building that could have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. The fire brigade has also been directed to file a report on the actions it took on that day after receiving the distress call, including the manpower and equipment deployed at each stage of fire escalation, right up to declaring it a ‘level-4′ (severe) call.

BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani had ordered an inquiry under joint municipal commissioner D Gangatharan a day after the fire.
“Among other things, we will examine why it took the fire brigade the time it did to extinguish the fire completely, which led to extensive damage to the mall. We will also examine whether there were alterations carried out in the mall building and whether permissions and NOCs were issued for the same by various departments, including the fire brigade and the building proposal department, and whether any inspections were carried out in the past. We will also check whether the mall had a functional firefighting system. If there are any lapses from any quarters, we will examine those, too,” said a BMC official.
The official said prima facie, it looks like the fire originated from the electrical fittings of a showroom in the basement. “The statements of the mall operators were taken. We are also seeking a report from ward officials.”
The mall had 220 shops, including an electronics showroom and two eateries. Former MLA Zeeshan Siddique, whose late father Baba Siddique built the mall, had alleged that the fire spread owing to the fire brigade’s negligence. The fire brigade has rebutted this charge.