Nagpur: The Chief Fire Officer of NMC’s Fire Brigade Rajendra Uchke in a recent statement had said that the management of Fortune Mall had been given time, as natural justice, for equipping the sprawling mall with the firefighting tools.
Based on the statement, Nagpur Today had reviewed the working style of NMC and its Fire Brigade and had subsequently published revealing reports. Within days of the publishing of reports, the Chief Fire Officer on Tuesday (July 12) changed his statement and publicly said that despite three notices the Sitabuldi-based Fortune Mall management had not taken the effective firefighting measures. Hence the mall has been issued a notice relating to snapping of water supply in accordance with the Section 8, Sub-Clause (1) of Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act 2006. The notice has been issued on Tuesday (July 12) on behalf of Fire Brigade. The mall management is likely to receive the notice on Wednesday. The fresh notice has warned the Fortune Mall management that not only water supply but power supply to the sprawling building will be cut off if it failed to take effective firefighting measures, again.
The Fortune Mall land in Ward No. 3, Khasra 317, City Survey Nos. 3110, 3111, 3112 near Munje Square in Sitabuldi belongs to Subhash Buty and J B Buty. Chhaganlal K Patel holds the Power of Attorney. The Mall has been put under the category of business-cum-mercantile building housing shops and offices. The firefighting tools, though, installed in the building but are non-functional. Moreover, not a single fire extinguisher is installed. Noticing the glaring violation, the NMC’s Fire Brigade had issued first notice to the concerned owner of the Mall on August 26, 2015 and the second one on September 1, 2015. But the mall management snubbed the notices and did not take any firefighting measures forcing the Fire Brigade to issue the third and final notice on May 27, 2016 and gave a specific time for removing the short comings.
Despite three notices, the Fortune Mall management played truant. It has now been issued water supply snapping notice dated July 12, 2016. It is learnt the Chief Fire Officer Rajendra Uchke signed the notice late in the evening.
Read: Is NMC’s Chief Fire Officer being lax towards erring Fortune Mall?
– Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
