Deonar fire incident: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis orders probe

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday ordered a probe into the fire at the Deonar dumping ground.

Manoj Lohiya, the additional commissioner of police (east region), will head the enquiry team.

"The CM has asked Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Lohiya to investigate the fire and subsequent smog which inconvenienced people and even led to the closure of schools in that area for a couple of days," said a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office.

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 being thrown there has been increasing steadily over the years, leaving residents living close-by fuming and complaining.

 

Since January 28, a thick blanket of smog has engulfed parts of Mumbai, partly due to the fire at Deonar dumping ground. Other factors responsible for the smog are a drop in the minimum temperature to 14 degree Celsius and high levels of particulate pollutants in the city.

On January 29, the fire at Deonar dumping ground led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to shut down 74 schools run by it, as the smoke from the ground veiled the area causing breathing difficulties.  

The schools are located in M-ward, where people complained about a foul smell arising due to the burning of garbage, a BMC official said.
Schools in M-ward, including those in Chembur, Deonar, Tilak Nagar, Pestom Sagar, Shivaji Nagar, Mankhurd and Baiganwadi, were closed for two days (last Friday and Saturday).