A fire occurred in a 12-story SRA building in Kurla, Mumbai, housing residents who were relocated from the Tansa pipeline area in 2017. This marks the third fire incident in a year, with a previous one causing a fatality. The recent fire was attributed to a faulty electric circuit, worsened by a malfunctioning fire system. Residents had previously warned the fire brigade about the circuit's condition. Now, they face a lack of electricity for over two months and financial challenges for repairs. This unfortunate situation highlights the residents' precarious living conditions and the urgent need for safety measures and support.
In the heart of Kurla West, Mumbai, a 12-story Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building became the scene of another harrowing incident – a third fire within a single year. This building served as a refuge for project-affected residents who had been relocated from the Tansa main water pipeline area in 2017, a move intended to improve their living conditions. Approximately 400 families, who had once called Ambedkar Nagar in Vidyavihar East home, were transferred to this SRA complex, distributed across wings A to G.
Tragically, this latest fire on a Saturday night added to a growing list of calamities that have befallen this community. A mere seven months prior, on February 15, a fire had ravaged the C wing of the very same building, resulting in the loss of one senior citizen's life and injuring eight others. And this pattern of peril didn't stop there – a series of fires have now ignited concerns about the safety of these residents.
The most recent fire, it was determined, originated from a defective electric circuit within the building's duct. Compounding the issue, the fire safety system was found to be inoperable, rendering the building highly vulnerable to such incidents. What's more concerning is that residents had previously alerted the Mumbai fire brigade about the precarious state of the electric circuit a full two months prior to this devastating fire, in a desperate plea for preventative action.
Some residents claim they have reached out to the fire brigade seeking help but are yet to be herd. Many residents of the building have been staying with relatives due to the perilous conditions, leaving those who remained in the building to endure life without electricity for over two months. Senior citizens, in particular, faced severe challenges as they were unable to access the lifts to descend to lower floors.
Adding to their woes, residents were provided with an astronomical estimate of ?25 lakh (approximately $34,000) to repair the defective circuit – a sum far beyond the means of most residents in this low-income community. The firefighting system within the building, essential for their safety, was also reported to be non-functional, leaving the residents in a predicament. Ironically, many residents expressed a sentiment that they were better off living in the slums near the Tansa main water pipeline, from where they had been relocated in the hope of a safer and improved life.
In the wake of this latest fire and the ongoing safety concerns, the residents of this SRA building find themselves in a dire situation. They are not only coping with the emotional trauma of recurrent fires but also grappling with the realities of life without electricity and the unaffordable cost of necessary repairs. The failure of the fire safety system adds a layer of anxiety, leaving these residents questioning the very purpose of their relocation from the Tansa main area. In their struggle for safe and dignified living conditions, they hope for urgent attention and support from the authorities.
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