{"id":1849,"date":"2016-07-03T12:11:31","date_gmt":"2016-07-03T06:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=1849"},"modified":"2026-07-17T19:48:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:18:06","slug":"mumbai-kamala-mills-fire-bmc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=1849","title":{"rendered":"Nope, Mumbaila BMC Var Bharosa Nahi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

M<\/span>\numbai has turned its tagline on its head. If the fire at <\/span>Kamala Mills<\/span><\/a> and our general attitude toward safety measures is any indication, the city that never sleeps has been slumbering for decades. If Facebook were to make a 2017 year-end review video for the BMC, it would have a really distressing story to tell. <\/span>\n\nIn the past year alone, we\u2019ve had a doctor fall into a manhole and lose his life, the horrible stampede at <\/span>Elphinstone<\/span><\/a> railway station, multiple deaths due to potholes, and now the horrendous fire at the Kamala Mills compound that claimed 14 lives. And this would just be the highlight reel — we haven\u2019t even reached <\/span>Mahul<\/span><\/a> yet. And just like Facebook, the residents of Maximum City are expected to merely leave sad reacts, trend hashtags, forgive, forget, and get on with their lives as the Spirit of Mumbai watches over them. All in the span of 24 hours. <\/span>\n\n\"Kamala\n

\n

If the fire at Kamala Mills and our general attitude toward safety measures is any indication, the city that never sleeps has been slumbering for decades.\n\nImage credit: Twitter<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nBut this time, the BMC is going to have a tough time erasing this nightmarish memory from <\/span>Mumbai\u2019s<\/span> <\/a>consciousness. It won\u2019t stop at the suspension of five civic officials. After all, it\u2019s not your average middle-class person going to work in public transport who was harmed in this disaster. Nor was this a stray incident in one of the remote areas of the city where shady permits are obtained and lack of adherence to safety measure is the norm. <\/span>\n\nKamala Mills lies in the heart of one of the toniest areas in the city, just a stone\u2019s throw from Elphinstone, where high-powered investment bankers rub shoulders with equally high-powered media execs. It hosts world-class restaurants, pubs, and bars that are packed to capacity on most evenings. If a tragedy of this magnitude can strike the heartland, I shudder to think about the situation in other parts of the city that we readily neglect. Mumbai is a ticking time bomb, a fact confirmed by the <\/span>Mumbai Fire Brigade<\/span><\/a> during a recent inspection.<\/span>\n

If Facebook were to make a 2017 year-end review video for the BMC, it would have a really distressing story to tell.<\/blockquote>\nAs expected, our coping mechanism in dealing with this tragedy, is to watch the ball of blame being tossed from one agency to the next. Almost on cue, BJP MP <\/span>Kirit Somaiya<\/span><\/a> took a jibe at the BMC, claiming that Kamala Mills is a death trap, and the BMC is responsible for \u201cmurder\u201d. <\/span>Social activists<\/span><\/a> have also have pointed out \u201cillegal structures\u201d in the area and the negligence of the BMC to deal with the same. Aaditya Thackeray tweeted that fire audits are a must and action will be taken if violations are found (but not when fake licenses can be bought.) This is the <\/span>man<\/span><\/a> who has been batting for a 24\/7 Mumbai with a robust nightlife. Sorry Mr Thackeray, but it doesn\u2019t seem like the pitch is ready for it yet. \u00a0<\/span>\n\n\"Kamala\n\n
\n

We\u2019ve grown so used to the sight of tragedy that no matter the season, there is immense faith in the BMC — of letting the city down.\n\nImage credit: Twitter<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nMeanwhile, India\u2019s richest municipal corporation continues to press the snooze alarm. We\u2019ve grown so used to the sight of tragedy that no matter the season, there is immense faith in the BMC — of letting the city down. But that\u2019s unfair of us. The BMC has other important duties, like harassing <\/span>radio jockeys<\/span><\/a> for making rap songs about their inefficiency, or accusing recycle workers of setting fire to the mountain of waste at <\/span>Deonar dumping ground<\/span><\/a>. Can\u2019t really blame them for slipping up on some of their other minor duties like checking on illegal construction and ensuring fire safety norms are adhered to. <\/span>\n\nI wonder how long before corporators ask us to just repose our faith in the <\/span>Spirit of Mumbai<\/span><\/a>, knowing well that the city is going to bounce back. It has no choice but to. <\/span>\n\nAfter all, if roads have potholes, people can\u2019t just sit at home. If trains are consistently jam-packed, it doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t go to work. The spirit of Mumbai isn\u2019t voluntary, nor something to be proud of. It\u2019s a declaration of helplessness. Of defencelessness. Of a complete lack of alternatives to the situation we find ourselves in. Just wait until next year when Kamala Mills will be re-built, lit up fabulously during Christmas, and everyone will filter in for a party like nothing ever happened. <\/span>\n\nAfter all, we are a city that never sleeps… Because the nightmares of our slumber are impossible to bear and continue to haunt our waking hours.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If Facebook were to make a year-end review video for the BMC, it would have a really distressing story to tell. This year, we\u2019ve had a doctor fall into a manhole and lose his life, the Elphinstone station stampede, multiple deaths due to potholes, and now the horrendous Kamala Mills fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":1853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[3641,2256,3642,3643,3644,3520,3645,3646,3647,80,3648,3649,3650,2480],"class_list":["post-1849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pov","tag-aaditya-thackeray","tag-bjp","tag-bmc","tag-corrupt","tag-deaths","tag-fire","tag-fire-brigade","tag-kamala-mills","tag-lower-parel","tag-mumbai","tag-safety","tag-shiv-sena","tag-social-activist","tag-stampede"],"yoast_head":"\nNope, Mumbaila BMC Var Bharosa Nahi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If Facebook were to make a year-end review video for the BMC, it would have a really distressing story to tell. 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