Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has made a payment of Rs8.06 lakh to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as cost towards removal of debris after a massive fire gutted the stage of a cultural programme, organised by the Maharashtra Government as part of the ongoing “Make In India” week held in February this year.
In response to an RTI query raised by activist Anil Galgali seeking information about the clearance of debris that had accumulated after the fire that broke out on the night of February 14, the BMC stated that the CII paid Rs8,06,952 to the civic Solid Waste Department of the D-ward which had sent a notice to the industry for reimbursement of expenditure incurred by it on the debris clearance operation.
Galgali, who initially raised an RTI query and later demanded through a letter to the Municipal Commission that a criminal case be registered against the CII in the event of it failing to make the payment, said that it was the duty of the event organiser (CII) to arrange to clear the Girgaum Chowpathy and hence it was liable to compensate for the expenditure incurred by the BMC. “On March 4, the CII duly paid the reimbursement demanded by the BMC,” he said.
According to Galgali, the BMC had deployed 10 JCBs, 39 dumpers (67 trips), 2 compactors, 198 labour staff and 80 supervisory staff in two shifts for clearance of debris.
Galgali said that the BMC had to clear 315 metric tonnes of debris and gutted material. “The BMC’s D Ward staff cleared the debris using infrastructure, implements, vehicle and its own workers and from non-Government agencies,” he said.
It may be recalled that the stage admeasuring 160 ft x 120 ft erected for “Maharashtra Rajani”, showcasing the culture of the State, had erupted in flames on the night of February 14, when noted Marathi actress Puja Sawant was performing a lavani dance.
There were in all 50 to 60 artistes on stage, while there were 300-odd artists in the nearby green rooms when the fire broke out on the stage when “Maharashtra lokdhara” (folk dances of Maharashtra) event was underway.
The artistes performing on the stage and those in the nearby green rooms — as also the VVIPs sitting on the front row of the audience — were swiftly evacuated to safer places. The prominent personalities present among the audiences included Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, chief minister Devendra Fadnaviks, his wife Amruta, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, actor-turned-BJP MP Hema Malini actors Aamir Khan, Sonakshi Sinha,Isha Koppikar and Katrina Kaif and crème de la crème of Mumbai.