<p>Five officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were suspended after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-how-the-tragic-incident-happened-625">a massive blaze killed 14 people in the Kamala Mills compound</a> in Lower Parel area of Central Mumbai early on Friday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the site to take stock of the situation.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CCTVVisuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CCTVVisuals</a> of people evacuating, rushing out during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KamalaMillsFire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KamalaMillsFire</a> incident in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mumbai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mumbai</a> in the late night hours. <a href="https://t.co/YytzcHGtj4">pic.twitter.com/YytzcHGtj4</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/946756344077467650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Here is a quick fact sheet on the mishap:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<ol>
	<li>Fadnavis today promised action against errant civic officials and the owners of a pub, adding that he had ordered safety audit of all such structures in the city. &quot;The guilty won&#39;t be spared,&quot; Fadnavis said.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said he had asked Fadnavis and the BMC commissioner to order a special fire audit of all such pubs and hooka parlours in Mumbai. &quot;Several such <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-fire-had-warned-bmc-about-kamala-mills-says-activist-they-replied-nothing-wrong-here-28040">establishments at the Mills compound are illegal</a>, part of which was regularised lately. The place where the blaze took place was illegal,&quot; he claimed.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kamala-mills-fire-how-it-happened-28017">The fire started at 12.30 am</a> on Friday in 1 Above restaurant and quickly spread to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-building-fire-no-cylinder-at-our-facility-all-guests-safe-says-mojos-bistro-28065">Mojo&#39;s Bistro</a> next door. The majority of those killed were women attending a birthday party at a rooftop restaurant.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Doctors said they died of asphyxiation, apparently as they tried to flee the burning building. Local media reported that a false ceiling had collapsed in the four-storey building.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>More than 12 fire tenders were rushed to fight the blaze. A rescue operation was launched to pull out the people trapped inside the pub. The fire was finally brought under control around 6.30 am.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Among those killed was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-fire-woman-whose-birthday-it-was-is-among-14-dead-28034">Khushboo Mehta</a>, who was celebrating her 29th birthday at the restaurant. An eyewitness said the place was engulfed in flames soon after the fire started. She added that there was a stampede since no one knew where the fire-escape doors were.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Police said they were investigating the cause of the fire, and had filed a preliminary case against the restaurant&#39;s owners.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Police have booked Hratesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Manka of C Grade Hospitality, which manages the pub, along with others, under various charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They are also charged IPC sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Several media outlets, including TV news channels Times Now, ET Now and TV9 Marathi, have offices in the complex.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind expressed anguish over the tragedy. &quot;Anguished by the fire in Mumbai. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. I pray that those injured recover quickly,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office tweeted.</li>
</ol>


Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, visited the site to take stock of the situation

Five officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were suspended after a massive blaze killed 14 people in the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area of Central Mumbai early on Friday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the site to take stock of the situation. #WATCH #CCTVVisuals of people evacuating, rushing out during the #KamalaMillsFire incident in #Mumbai in the late night hours. pic.twitter.com/YytzcHGtj4 — ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2017 × Here is a quick fact sheet on the mishap: Fadnavis today promised action against errant civic officials and the owners of a pub, adding that he had ordered safety audit of all such structures in the city. "The guilty won't be spared," Fadnavis said. BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said he had asked Fadnavis and the BMC commissioner to order a special fire audit of all such pubs and hooka parlours in Mumbai. "Several such establishments at the Mills compound are illegal, part of which was regularised lately. The place where the blaze took place was illegal," he claimed. The fire started at 12.30 am on Friday in 1 Above restaurant and quickly spread to Mojo's Bistro next door. The majority of those killed were women attending a birthday party at a rooftop restaurant. Doctors said they died of asphyxiation, apparently as they tried to flee the burning building. Local media reported that a false ceiling had collapsed in the four-storey building. More than 12 fire tenders were rushed to fight the blaze. A rescue operation was launched to pull out the people trapped inside the pub. The fire was finally brought under control around 6.30 am. Among those killed was Khushboo Mehta, who was celebrating her 29th birthday at the restaurant. An eyewitness said the place was engulfed in flames soon after the fire started. She added that there was a stampede since no one knew where the fire-escape doors were. Police said they were investigating the cause of the fire, and had filed a preliminary case against the restaurant's owners. Police have booked Hratesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Manka of C Grade Hospitality, which manages the pub, along with others, under various charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They are also charged IPC sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). Several media outlets, including TV news channels Times Now, ET Now and TV9 Marathi, have offices in the complex. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind expressed anguish over the tragedy. "Anguished by the fire in Mumbai. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. I pray that those injured recover quickly," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

Mumbai building fire: 5 civic body officials suspended after 14 killed in massive blaze

<p>Mumbai will soon see rooftop restaurants in hotels and shopping malls.&nbsp;The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)&nbsp;has given permission to&nbsp;open&nbsp;rooftop restaurants in India&#39;s financial capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The hotels and restaurants from now onwards will be able to utilise the rooftop space.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BMC had previously banned such rooftop hotels calling them &quot;illegal&quot;.&nbsp;It changed its decision after the intervention of the state government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After the legal permission, several rooftop restaurants will be ready to&nbsp;open in shopping malls and hotels.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The hotels in Mumbai welcomed the&nbsp;decision by calling it a &quot;new experience for the Mumbaikars&quot;. They&nbsp;also claimed that this will&nbsp;reduce the problem of severe space shortage in Mumbai and will also increase tourism in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They further added&nbsp;that it will&nbsp;increase the earnings of BMC and the state government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the permission of BMC, the city will be able to experiment with the concept of sky bar and sky cafe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, the BMC has put many conditions before permitting rooftop restaurants.</p>

<p>The municipal corporation has said restaurants will have to build about 1.5 metres boundary around the rooftop restaurant.</p>

<p>The &quot;sky top&quot;&nbsp;should not have any residential building within ten metres. It has&nbsp;permitted only microwave and electric cooking.</p>

<p>Also, the hotels and restaurants need to adhere to the rules and regulations of the BMC fire department.</p>

<p>Before starting a business in Mumbai, people need to take permission from the&nbsp;BMC.</p>

<p>However, the BMC has decided to remove&nbsp;such restrictions after being prodded by the BJP-led state government. This has been done to improve the industrial sector in Mumbai and to improve its rankings.</p>


The BMC had previously banned such rooftop hotels calling them illegal

Mumbai will soon see rooftop restaurants in hotels and shopping malls. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has given permission to open rooftop restaurants in India's financial capital. The hotels and restaurants from now onwards will be able to utilise the rooftop space. The BMC had previously banned such rooftop hotels calling them "illegal". It changed its decision after the intervention of the state government. After the legal permission, several rooftop restaurants will be ready to open in shopping malls and hotels. The hotels in Mumbai welcomed the decision by calling it a "new experience for the Mumbaikars". They also claimed that this will reduce the problem of severe space shortage in Mumbai and will also increase tourism in the state. They further added that it will increase the earnings of BMC and the state government. With the permission of BMC, the city will be able to experiment with the concept of sky bar and sky cafe. However, the BMC has put many conditions before permitting rooftop restaurants. The municipal corporation has said restaurants will have to build about 1.5 metres boundary around the rooftop restaurant. The "sky top" should not have any residential building within ten metres. It has permitted only microwave and electric cooking. Also, the hotels and restaurants need to adhere to the rules and regulations of the BMC fire department. Before starting a business in Mumbai, people need to take permission from the BMC. However, the BMC has decided to remove such restrictions after being prodded by the BJP-led state government. This has been done to improve the industrial sector in Mumbai and to improve its rankings.

BMC permits 'rooftop restaurants' in Mumbai

<p>The metropolis of Mumbai is not only the financial capital of India it is also a reflection of India&rsquo;s progress in the last 70 years of Independence. With a population of 18.41 million, the megalopolis ranks among the top 20 cities on the basis of GDP; annual gross domestic product of Mumbai exceeds $400 billion.</p>

<p>However, the flip side of the shimmering success is creaking infrastructure, overpopulation, unplanned growth, spreading urban sprawl and a general decay of quality of life.</p>

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<h5>Mumbai is a prime example of a very 21st-century dilemma &ndash; how to keep the engine of development chugging along without hurting the environment in which it is functioning.</h5>
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<p>This weakness is aggravated during the monsoons, especially on days when there is an unusually heavy downpour. We all remember the floods of 2005 that took its toll on the people as well as the economy. Estimates suggest approximately 1000 people died and the city lost $100 million in business in just two days.</p>

<p>Since then Mumbai residents have witnessed flooding, waterlogging and building collapsing during the monsoons. The severity is nowhere near 2005 levels, still, it&rsquo;s bad.</p>

<p>Mumbai is a prime example of a very 21st-century dilemma &ndash; how to keep the engine of development chugging along without hurting the environment in which it is functioning.</p>

<p>Surprisingly, the city&rsquo;s geographical location and its eco-system provide a unique opportunity to create a model sustainable city that can act as a template for other large port cities to follow.</p>

<p>The narrow strip on which the megalopolis rests has 149 km of coastline and seven interconnected islands. It also boasts of 16 kilometers of beaches and four rivers Oshiwara, Mithi, Dahisar and Poisar which together have a length of more than 41 kilometres.</p>

<p>Incidentally, Mumbai is one of the few fortunate cities globally that has over 70 sq. km of creeks and mangroves. However, this rich ecosystem is besieged by unplanned development, very high rates of migration in the last 3 decades, rampant dumping of waste in the rivers and encroachment of beeches and coastline by real estate developers.</p>

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<h5>State of infrastructure will make Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to disasters induced by extreme weather conditions that will increase in ferocity and regularity due to intensifying climate change.</h5>
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<p>This has led to choking of rivers, their tributaries and other water channels. The building of residential and commercial properties in the catchment areas of the river and wetlands has further eroded the natural capacity of the terrain to deal with large flows of water.</p>

<p>During monsoons when water flows increases there is no natural or man-made capacity to provide it with an outlet or accommodate it. This results in water logging and flooding.</p>

<p>This state of infrastructure will make Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to disasters induced by extreme weather conditions that will increase in ferocity and regularity due to intensifying climate change.</p>

<p>The vulnerability will be more acute&nbsp;as the city has persisted with ineffective land use planning and insufficient investment in infrastructure. The spread of informal settlements with poor quality housing and lack of disaster preparedness has gone on for long.</p>

<p>The good news is that there is enough resilience left in Mumbai&rsquo;s geography, ecology and people to script a turnaround. This spirit was visible recently in the case of lawyer Afroz Shah who started cleaning the Versova beach and then was joined by various citizen groups.</p>

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<h5>Town planners in the state government and Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) need to look at the sustainable development paradigm as the way forward.&nbsp;</h5>
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<p>He is not alone, residents of Bandra Band Stand forced Maharashtra Maritime Board to complete Bandra Bandstand Promenade repair work.</p>

<p>Yet these encouraging citizen interventions are not enough to turn a city&rsquo;s fortunes. It needs an institutional push from the top which means sustained action by the government. Town planners in the state government and Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) need to look at the sustainable development paradigm as the way forward.</p>

<p>It should be built on the 17 parameters of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as envisaged by the United Nations. Among the goals, number 3 (good health &amp; well being), 10 (reduced inequalities), 12 (responsible consumption &amp; production), 14 (protecting life below water) and 15 (protecting life on land) can act as the basis for immediate action.</p>

<p>October 31st is designated as World Cities Day by the United Nations. In the 21st century, the importance of this day can&rsquo;t be overemphasised. The opinion builders, policymakers and the city administrators can together take a pledge today to stop the city from expanding towards the sea through encroachment on its coasts and beeches.</p>

<p>It should also save its mangrove forests and revive them where they have been degraded. It should also start working to decongest the sever lines and internal drainage channels, especially the four rivers, to save itself from drowning during rains.</p>

<p>Rehabilitation and reconstruction of informal settlements need to be pursued on a mission mode for the long-term health and resilience of the city. Honest and sustained initiatives in these core areas would be the best way to commemorate the World Cities Day.</p>

<p>It is a long and difficult road but worth taking as the cost of not acting now will be far greater than the benefits of tough decisions taken today.</p>


On World Cities Day, opinion builders, policymakers and the city administrators need to focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction of informal settlements.

The metropolis of Mumbai is not only the financial capital of India it is also a reflection of India’s progress in the last 70 years of Independence. With a population of 18.41 million, the megalopolis ranks among the top 20 cities on the basis of GDP; annual gross domestic product of Mumbai exceeds $400 billion. However, the flip side of the shimmering success is creaking infrastructure, overpopulation, unplanned growth, spreading urban sprawl and a general decay of quality of life. Mumbai is a prime example of a very 21st-century dilemma – how to keep the engine of development chugging along without hurting the environment in which it is functioning. × This weakness is aggravated during the monsoons, especially on days when there is an unusually heavy downpour. We all remember the floods of 2005 that took its toll on the people as well as the economy. Estimates suggest approximately 1000 people died and the city lost $100 million in business in just two days. Since then Mumbai residents have witnessed flooding, waterlogging and building collapsing during the monsoons. The severity is nowhere near 2005 levels, still, it’s bad. Mumbai is a prime example of a very 21st-century dilemma – how to keep the engine of development chugging along without hurting the environment in which it is functioning. Surprisingly, the city’s geographical location and its eco-system provide a unique opportunity to create a model sustainable city that can act as a template for other large port cities to follow. The narrow strip on which the megalopolis rests has 149 km of coastline and seven interconnected islands. It also boasts of 16 kilometers of beaches and four rivers Oshiwara, Mithi, Dahisar and Poisar which together have a length of more than 41 kilometres. Incidentally, Mumbai is one of the few fortunate cities globally that has over 70 sq. km of creeks and mangroves. However, this rich ecosystem is besieged by unplanned development, very high rates of migration in the last 3 decades, rampant dumping of waste in the rivers and encroachment of beeches and coastline by real estate developers. State of infrastructure will make Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to disasters induced by extreme weather conditions that will increase in ferocity and regularity due to intensifying climate change. × This has led to choking of rivers, their tributaries and other water channels. The building of residential and commercial properties in the catchment areas of the river and wetlands has further eroded the natural capacity of the terrain to deal with large flows of water. During monsoons when water flows increases there is no natural or man-made capacity to provide it with an outlet or accommodate it. This results in water logging and flooding. This state of infrastructure will make Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to disasters induced by extreme weather conditions that will increase in ferocity and regularity due to intensifying climate change. The vulnerability will be more acute as the city has persisted with ineffective land use planning and insufficient investment in infrastructure. The spread of informal settlements with poor quality housing and lack of disaster preparedness has gone on for long. The good news is that there is enough resilience left in Mumbai’s geography, ecology and people to script a turnaround. This spirit was visible recently in the case of lawyer Afroz Shah who started cleaning the Versova beach and then was joined by various citizen groups. Town planners in the state government and Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) need to look at the sustainable development paradigm as the way forward. × He is not alone, residents of Bandra Band Stand forced Maharashtra Maritime Board to complete Bandra Bandstand Promenade repair work. Yet these encouraging citizen interventions are not enough to turn a city’s fortunes. It needs an institutional push from the top which means sustained action by the government. Town planners in the state government and Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) need to look at the sustainable development paradigm as the way forward. It should be built on the 17 parameters of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as envisaged by the United Nations. Among the goals, number 3 (good health & well being), 10 (reduced inequalities), 12 (responsible consumption & production), 14 (protecting life below water) and 15 (protecting life on land) can act as the basis for immediate action. October 31st is designated as World Cities Day by the United Nations. In the 21st century, the importance of this day can’t be overemphasised. The opinion builders, policymakers and the city administrators can together take a pledge today to stop the city from expanding towards the sea through encroachment on its coasts and beeches. It should also save its mangrove forests and revive them where they have been degraded. It should also start working to decongest the sever lines and internal drainage channels, especially the four rivers, to save itself from drowning during rains. Rehabilitation and reconstruction of informal settlements need to be pursued on a mission mode for the long-term health and resilience of the city. Honest and sustained initiatives in these core areas would be the best way to commemorate the World Cities Day. It is a long and difficult road but worth taking as the cost of not acting now will be far greater than the benefits of tough decisions taken today.

Mumbai needs to stop growing towards the sea

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