Locals on Thursday claimed that it was sheer luck that the fire broke out at Chawl No. 3 in Shastri Nagar slum, which is located on the fringes of the slum. Had the fire spread to Chawl No. 2 of the slum, the number of injured would have increased, as the lanes in that part of the slum are extremely narrow. One of the victims, Abeda Shaikh said, “Chawl No. 2 is highly congested and its lanes are really narrow. It would have been very difficult to evacuate or carry out rescue operations, if the fire spread to that part of the area.”
Meanwhile, an elected civic representative from the area, who did not wish to be named, has claimed that he had asked the BMC to raze the illegal structures at Shastri Nagar.
However, officials deliberately passed the buck to Mhada, stating that the developing body owned the land and was responsible for any construction on it. “I have complained to the BMC on several occasions, but it fell on deaf ears…I think they get bribes to allow these illegal shanties to flourish in the area,” he added.
MLA Baba Siddiqui has assured residents that the-ir homes would be rebuilt soon.