Maharashtra CM asks panel to probe Deonar fire

Taking serious note of the fire at the Deonar dumping ground, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday ordered a probe into the matter by a panel headed by additional commissioner of police Manoj Lohiya. The fire and smoke at the dumping ground has created environmental and health problems for residents in the nearby areas.

“The CM has asked additional commissioner of police Manoj Lohiya to investigate the fire and the subsequent smog which inconvenienced people and even led to closure of schools in that area for a couple of days,” a senior official in the Chief Minister’s Office said.

A fire at the Deonar dumping ground last week had forced the BMC to shut down 74 schools run by it in Chembur, Deonar, Bainganwadi areas for two days as the smoke from the ground was causing breathing problems.

A lot of residents, especially children, complained about breathlessness and skin allergies. A thick blanket of smog had engulfed parts of Mumbai owing to the fire and smoke. The drop in minimum temperature also led to poor air quality in the city.

Immediately, acting on the issue, Mr Fadnavis had spoken to BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta, who had informed him that the smoke at Deonar was substantially under control. \"I have asked the CP, Mumbai, to inquire into the possibility of a sabotage,\" Mr Fadnavis had earlier said after talking to the BMC chief.

It was also suspected that locals might be involved in the fire as the dumping ground is not guarded. The Mumbai police has filed a case against three unknown persons for starting the fire at the Deonar dumping ground.

Deonar is one of the biggest dumping grounds in Mumbai and the amount of garbage that ends up has been increasing every year. The BMC is planning to shift the dumping ground to nearby Taloja area as Deonar has exceeded its capacity. However, local villagers in Taloja have opposed the idea of a new dumping ground in their area.