Latest news with #HotelCityKinara
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Justice finally served: Kin of Kinara fire victims on payout
1 2 3 Mumbai: A day after Bombay high court ordered the BMC to pay Rs 50 lakh compensation each to the families of eight victims killed in the 2015 fire at Kurla's Hotel City Kinara, many of them said the ruling was a case of justice delayed but not denied. Seven of the victims were students—five of engineering and two mass media— while the eighth worked as a design engineer. For their families, the court's decision came after a decade of unimaginable grief. Sion Pratiksha Nagar resident Rekha Thapar, mother of Akash Thapar, 19, an engineering student of Don Bosco Institute of Technology (DBIT), was the petitioner in the case. "I didn't miss a single hearing. Justice has been finally served—late, but it has been served," she said. Thapar recalled how Akash, a bright student, wasn't even meant to attend college that day. "He said he'd go out for a while and return soon. I didn't even pack his tiffin, something I always did. Later, I saw the news of the fire on TV and told my husband how tragic it was—not knowing it was my own son," she said. Her husband was bedridden for years, and she ran the household by taking tuitions. "Akash would always say, 'Once I start working, you can stop giving classes'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 저금리 특별지원, '최대 1억원' 비대면 당일승인까지! 선착순 상담안내 근로자채무통합센터 더 알아보기 Undo " Rekha received the call asking her to come to Rajawadi Hospital—where BMC usually takes bodies for postmortem—and knew instantly something terrible had happened. "I'm grateful to our legal team for not giving up," she added, recounting how she, her daughter and sister rushed to the hospital on the day. Akash's close friend Taha Shaikh, 20, was among those who died. His father Mushtaque Shaikh said, "No compensation can bring back my son. He died because of corruption that allowed illegal eateries like this one to operate. Even 10 years later, little has changed. That day haunts me." Another victim, Sharjeel Jalil Shaikh, had just begun to show promise, said his mother, Rehana Shaikh, a schoolteacher from Jogeshwari. Her husband died in 2018 after a heart attack. "We returned to Jogeshwari—our dreams in ashes." Mass media student Bernadette Dsouza had already seen her family hit by tragedy. "I lost my husband in 2013. In 2015, I lost my daughter to negligence," said her mother Jacinata from Sion's Everard Nagar. "My son Victor still doesn't talk about the disaster. He was very close to his sister and despite my attempts to get him to speak about it, he has not been able to bring it out. My daughter always said she would do better than me in life. She played basketball and was good at studies too, taking very little time to prepare for her examinations. She never got the chance. We owe our fight for justice to advocate Godfrey Pimenta." Pimenta, meanwhile, called it a landmark judgment by the court. Erwin Dsouza, the other mass media student, left home early that day for an exam. His mother Jacqueline said she tried his phone, but it was switched off. "We live in Orlem in Malad and my son would travel a long distance daily, changing trains to reach his college. By the time we heard and reached Rajawadi Hospital, it was night. I just hope the BMC doesn't drag us to the Supreme Court now. Let it end here."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
‘15 RTI pleas, protests & a long legal battle'
Mumbai: Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, upon learning of Kurla's Hotel City Kinara fire that killed eight in Oct 2015, said they promptly decided to hold a dharna outside the Vinoba Bhave Nagar police station, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. Despite being threatened with arrest for holding the protest, they proceeded with it, joined by grieving parents. "Subsequently, we submitted 15 to 20 applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking extensive documentation from the licence department and the buildings and factories department of the BMC, Mumbai fire brigade, HPCL, and other relevant agencies. Equipped with substantial information obtained through the RTI Act, we filed a formal complaint with Maharashtra Lokayukta, seeking compensation for the bereaved families. We also organised protests at Kurla, and held a dharna at Azad Maidan, demanding a CBI inquiry," said Pimenta. In a gesture reminiscent of Munnabhai MBBS, he said they left flower bouquets along with 'Get Well Soon' placards outside the home of the then municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta. In Feb 2017, the Lokayukta granted a compensation of Rs 1 lakh. Pimenta said they then approached Bombay High Court. "We are deeply gratified by the recent judgment and would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to senior counsel Naushad Engineer and his team, as well as advocate Jayesh Mestry, who appeared pro bono in support of this just cause."tnn
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
‘Raze illegal structures, prevent fires'
Mumbai: Several fire incidents over the past decade have exposed a recurring pattern—many of the affected structures were unauthorised or had illegal alterations. Citizens and activists argue that the BMC must proactively act against such violations to prevent tragedies. The Oct 2015 blaze at Hotel City Kinara in Kurla revealed glaring fire safety lapses: Gas pipes crisscrossed the eatery, cylinders were stored on a mezzanine balcony, staircases were dangerously narrow, and the mezzanine itself was illegal. Similarly, the Dec 2017 fire at Kamala Mills that claimed 14 lives at the 1 Above restaurant spread rapidly due to a highly combustible, unauthorised thatched roof—an addition for which no permissions was granted. The BMC had suspended 5 officials after the blaze. Niranjan Shetty, chairman of Ahar (Association of Hotels and Restaurants), said, "Authorised eateries largely comply with fire safety norms, as they know non-compliance invites strict action. But there's a clear trend—most fire incidents involve unauthorised structures or illegal extensions. That's where enforcement needs to tighten." The inquiry into the recent fire at a Bandra mall pointed out that the firefighting system was manual, not automatic, highlighting gaps in safety infrastructure in commercial spaces. Nicholas Almeida of Watchdog Foundation said after the Kinara fire, the BMC cracked down on illegal eateries and roadside cooking. "But a decade later, open cooking continues. Ward level officials can act against this."tnn
