Conspiracy alleged in GHMC fire

Hyderabad: Conspiracy theories are surfacing regarding the fire at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) central zone office at Khairatabad, where only records of ongoing works have been gutted in the fire. 

A year ago, the same office was at the centre of the '1.2 crore nala desilting scam, when contractors submitted fake bills along with fake registration numbers of vehicles used to transport the silt, but which turned out to belong to two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and cars.

A complaint was lodged with the Central Crime Station (CCS) and 18 contractors were arrested on April 28. 

The contractors disclosed that 13 assistant engineers were hand in glove with them and helped get the bills passed without verification. 

The interesting part is that the official who brought this scam to light retired on January 31, 2018. And it is almost immediately after his retirement that the Khairatabad zonal office caught fire, on Tuesday. Rumours that the fire was deliberate and meant to destroy the evidence.  

However, the preliminary report on the fire says there was no damage to permanent files in the incident. It also said that CCTV footage does not suggest any human movement in the office when the fire broke out on Tuesday. 

The CCTV footage covered the whole corridor of the first floor and shows that the rooms were locked around 7.45 pm by the section attendant. The security staff closed the iron grille of the first floor at around 9.10 pm. Thereafter, there was no human movement in the first floor. 

Around 12.50 am, a spark was visible in the audit wing, which indicated a fire. It is presumed that an electric short-circuit could be the cause of the fire. Security personnel observed smoke billowing out from the first floor of the building around 6.35 am and sounded the alert.  

A fire fighting unit reached the location in 15 minutes and the first of two fire tenders arrived at 7.30 am. The fire was put out by 8.45 am.

Court observations 
On March 9, 2010, the government issued a memo (No. 22242/Pri.A/A2/2009-3) shifting the NoC powers to the commissioners of the municipal corporation of Hyderabad. The fire services could issue NoCs only in rural areas and municipalities.Three days later on March 12, the government issued another memo (RC No. 5041/112/97) appointing 20 fire officials on deputation to the municipal corporation to issue NoCs. These memos are said to be in violation of a High Court order. 

Fire services officials too have not insisted on having prevention measures in place in the GHMC limits. Senior advocate and railways standing counsel T. Venkata Ramana said shifting powers to an official through memos would not stand legal scrutiny.

“The Fire Services Act came into existence after the Cabinet’s and Assembly’s approval. If government wants to shift powers to another department, it would have to amend the Act. Shifting powers through memos do not have legal sanctity. Besides, it violates an order of the High Court delivered by the Chief Justice in 2006,” he said.

In 2009, the Supreme Court said in the wake of Kumbakonam school fire mishap that schools should be inspected by senior fire safety officials. But neither GHMC nor fire services officials have taken up inspections in the city. In 2014, the SC said in the Uphaar case that all cinema theatres have to be inspected by the authorities concerned.