Accident or sabotage?

Massive fire at Behrampada slums gives rise to many speculations; authorities refuse to give reason behind mishap, while residents allege foul play

Last night, hell opened up for the residents of Behrampada and Garib Nagar in Bandra (East). Residents ran for their lives as the first flames engulfed the shanties around 8.30 pm last night.

Eyewitnesses claimed they heard a loud bang and soon 40-ft high flames were visible from the hungry fire.



Fire officials, Mumbai police and emergency workers rushed to the spot and at the time of going to print were still grappling to bring the fire under control.

14 injured of which two are women have been brought to Bhabha hospital with minor injuries.

Two fire brigade officials who got injured while dousing the fire were also rushed to the hospital. However, this is not the first time that the Bandra slum has gone up in flames.

In June 2009, a fire injured 15 locals and destroyed nearly 200 slums. At the time, the slum dwellers suspected a builder of being behind the incident, however, no evidence linking the two was ever unearthed.

Last night too, many fingers began pointing towards a possible cause behind the huge fire.

In fact, within hours of the slum going up in flames, telephones at various builder offices in the suburb began buzzing with curious calls.

"These incidents do happen in Mumbai shanties. The cause would be known within 24 hours. Hence, we will take precautionary measures. This is unfortunate," said BMC commissioner Subodh Kumar, who was present at Bhabha Hospital.

Police officials on the ground said that there were many illegal small-scale industrial godowns that stocked inflammable materials like plastic and old wood.

This helped the fire and hence it spread within minutes from one shanty to the other.


Slums adjoining the Bandra railway station are engulfed, which destroyed more than 2,000 shanties in Garib Nagar

Rajnish Sheth, Joint commissioner of police said, "The fire brigade is trying its best to bring the fire under control. As of now no major causality has been reported, but a few people are reported missing."

Curious bystanders

The cops were having a hard time controlling the curious mob of onlookers and bystanders.

Additional commissioner of Police West region Amitabh Gupta said, "Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to control the mob and police are providing all possible support to the fire department to bring the fire under control as soon as possible."

When asked the reason behind the fire, he said, "Only once the fire department submits its report stating the reason that lead to the fire, can we get a clear picture."

Many politicians rushed to the spot, and assured the residents that they would speak to the government and see to it that they are provided with proper monetary help and adequate rehabilitation.

Goldmine

Real estate prices in Bandra are sky-high, and many builders and developers had been eyeing this property for a while. Sprawled across a few acres of prime land, the slums of Behrampada and Garib Nagar are a goldmine for developers.

"These slums are very strategically located. Consider its proximity to Bandra Kurla Complex, the commercial hub of the city, and also the closeness to Bandra station, it's a very viable option for any builder.

The ongoing price over here for a small 10X10 shanty can go up to Rs 25 lakh," said a real estate broker from Bandra.

The closeness to the Western express highway is another bonus for the area.


Bystanders, fire brigade officials look on as the massive fire destroys everything in its path

"It would be too early to speculate whether a builder, or anyone else is responsible for the fire. Let the report come out then such things could be decided," said a builder from western suburbs.

Railways affected

The railways have shut the harbour line at Bandra station as a precautionary measure.

Trains on the harbour network are plying only till King Circle. The ticket booking office at Bandra East has also been vacated and the foot-over-bridge has been shut for public.

The skywalk connecting Bandra station to BKC has also been partially damaged by the flames.

CR CPRO V A Malegaonkar, said, "Harbour line was shut for two hours because the power supply to the over head wires was discontinued as the fire was pretty close."

The Western Railway services were running late by 20-30 minutes.

Irfan Shaikh, resident of the slums, said, "I was returning from work, when I saw a few shanties, on fire. But before the locals could douse the fire, it spread rapidly and engulfed the entire area."

Number Game

6
Number of ambulances called on the spot to rush the injured to nearby hospitals

40
Number of fire tenders required to douse the flames

2,000
Number of shanties that were destroyed in the fire

28
Number of injured in the fire, according to medics and fire brigade officials on the spot