Kamala Mills director says he was unaware of illegal alterations carried out on the premises
Illegally constructed bamboo booths and awning fuelled the fire that gutted Mojo’s Bistro and 1 Above. File pic
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Ramesh Gowani, director of Kamala Mills, claims he was unaware of illegal alterations carried out at the premises that had been leased to pubs. The same alterations – bamboo awnings and booths – had fuelled the fire that gutted rooftop pubs Mojo's Bistro and 1 Above.
Wearing a white kurta-pyjama and slippers, the 56-year-old billionaire had visited the NM Joshi police station on Tuesday to record his statement in the Kamala Mills blaze case. In his statement, Gowani said, "I had given space on the second floor of Trade House building in Kamala Mills to 1Above a year ago, and to Mojo's Bistro six months ago. Both the company owners had taken this space on rent. According to the agreement, the owners had to complete norms of BMC and the fire brigade."
According to sources, he also told the police, "I was not aware about the alteration made by the owners of the pub." Earlier, Mumbai police had also recorded the statement of Yug Pathak, son of former Pune police commissioner K Pathak and co-owner of rooftop pub Mojo's Bistro. Two separate cases were registered under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act after the fire – while Pathak is named in the first, Gowani is named in both FIRs. The cops later registered a third case against Shailendra Singh, owner of P22 at Raghuvanshi Mills, where similar illegal alterations were found.
Gowani's family has been in the construction business for six decades. They control the nine-acre Kamala Mills property, which houses several corporate offices and restaurants. In recent years, several new constructions have taken place inside the premises, many of which have since been demolished by the BMC in the wake of the fire in December. An officer from NM Joshi police told mid-day, "We have to record more statements of people connected to the incident. We have recorded the statement of one of the partners of Mojo's Bistro. We will interview the other owner too."
The police have formed several teams who are working day and night to zero in on the owners of the rooftop restaurant, 1 Above. These teams are working solely on the Kamala Mills case, and were not part of the police bandobast during the Maharashtra bandh on Wednesday either. Sources said the cops are investigating with utmost care and caution, as the people connected to the incident are very influential.
Cops record Mojo's director's statement
On Thursday evening, the NM Joshi Marg police recorded a detailed statement of Duke Tuli, a director of Mojo's Bistro restaurant, for around four hours. Speaking to mid-day, Tuli said, "We are very upset about the people who lost their lives and are cooperating with the investigating agencies. I gave all related documents to the police." When mid-day asked Tuli to respond to allegations of police inaction on Mojo's as its owners are supposedly influential, he said, "The allegations are not true. Cops are doing their work, and had it been that way, they wouldn't have called us to the police station."
MHRC seeks report on recent fires
The Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has issued a notice to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on January 4, asking the municipal commissioner to submit detailed reports of the Sakinaka farsan factory and Kamala Mills fires. The BMC has been asked to file a reply by January 29, failing which action will be taken. The action comes after BJP's Mumbai secretary Vivekanand Gupta sent a letter to MHRC, terming the Kamala Mills and Sakinaka fires as gross violations of human rights.
BMC chief calls for crackdown on eateries
On Thursday, during a meeting, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta directed the Fire Safety Implementation Cell to inspect eateries in their respective wards and issue a notice if they come across any violation. Mehta also instructed them to seal the eateries if they found any serious violations during inspection. An official from Mehta's office said, "Also, the ward officers have been instructed to co-ordinate with associations representing restaurants to ensure newly-opened ones submit a declaration to them mentioning the restaurant is fire safety compliant." The meeting also discussed revoking licences of eateries using kitchen areas for sleeping.
Three
No. of FIRs filed under MRTP Act
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