Pune: Illegal shops in the Fashion Street market on MG Road have increased by 20 per cent as compared to last year, but fire safety measures have not been taken by the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) yet.
The Kamala Mills fire in Mumbai, which claimed 14 lives in December 2017, had prompted the PCB to conduct a fire safety audit of the Fashion Street market in January 2018. It has been a year but no fire safety measures have been implemented in the market.
Fashion Street Hawkers Association Secretary In-charge Mazar Qureshi said, “There are 448 legal stalls since 1997. In the last 5-6 years, 121 stalls have been legalised by the Cantonment. Earlier, there were 50-60 illegal stall holders. Now, the number has gone up by 20 per cent in the last year.”
“The Cantonment had assured that the illegal stall holders will be removed and legal stall holders will get the fire safety facility. It has been over a year now. Only fire audit has been done following an order issued by then CEO DN Yadav. No action has been taken yet,” Qureshi added.
Mohammad Khan, a shop owner at Fashion Street, said, “Even after repeated follow-ups with the Cantonment and the corporator, no positive action has been taken.”
Mohan Patil, another shop owner, said, “The corporator has never turned up to Fashion Street to check the situation. He does not even receive our phone calls if there is any problem that we want to share with him.”
MG Road comes under Ward IV. Corporator Atul Gaikwad said, “The fire safety audit was issued by the then president Rajiv Sethi in January 2018. He had decided to remove all illegal stalls. But he was transferred. Major General Prithi Singh took over the charge as the president of the PCB. Singh retired within three months. The new president, Major General Naveen Kumar, took over the charge as the president of the PCB in December 2018. Now, the existing president will soon take a decision over the issue.”
PCB Vice President and ward member Vivek Yadav said, “In a board meeting last year, it was decided that a commercial establishment will be constructed. The legal stall owners will be given a place to run their business. Kumar took over as PCB’s president in December 2018. Later, the general elections took place. There was Ramzan festival also. Therefore, no stern action was taken. Now, in the next board meeting, this point will be put up and discussed.”
Sakal Times repeatedly tried to contact Naveen Kumar but he was not available for comment.