Is it justified to spend crores of rupees on the Make in India event when Maharashtra is witnessing drought asks opposition.
The fire which erupted at Make in India cultural event at Girgaum Chowpathy beach has been doused but politics have already begun on this incident. Congress and NCP have held the BJP responsible for organising the event without following safety guidelines which led to the fire and put lives of many in danger. The Bombay High Court had denied permission to the Maharashtra government for holding the event at Chowpatty. Despite this the state government had sought permission from the Supreme Court for the event which it got barely two weeks ago.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “What was the government’s motive to hold such event at a time when several areas of the state is witnessing drought? Is it justified to spend crores of rupees on the Make in India event? They could have spent some money for providing relief to drought hit areas of the state. Already farmers are committing suicide due to crop failure but nobody is bothered to offer financial assistance to them.”
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are trying to bring achhe din by organising the Make in India event however they are not focussing on basics. Maharashtra is known as the industrialised state of the country. The state government must call for a probe into this incident and take action against the erring officials responsible for the mishap”.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam said, “I agree that Maharashtra is witnessing drought and farmers are facing severe hardships. However investments are vital for the development of the state hence it is necessary to hold such events. Opposition should refrain from politicising this event.”
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered for a probe into the incident. He said the fire incident won’t have any impact on the rest of the programmes, which are part of the Make in India week. “There is no point in speculating the cause now. A comprehensive investigation has been ordered. The roles and responsibility of those involved would be fixed,” he said.
Meanwhile authorities will also be investigating the sabotage angle pertaining to the fire incident. Fire brigade authority has begun an inquiry into the blaze. According to fire officials fire might have erupted due to the blasting of fire crackers at the venue.
“We will probe all aspects, including finding out if there was a sabotage angle involved,” a fire brigade official said.
No casualties were reported as the venue at the Girgaum Chowpatty area was emptied within minutes
The blaze broke out of sparklers during a Lavani performance on the state at around 8.15 pm. Around 10,000 people were present at that time. Calling the incident “unfortunate”, Fadnavis had said the fire was soon brought under control and the people were evacuated immediately while traffic management allowed early dispersal without any trouble.
Meanwhile, RTI activist Anil Galgali alleged that safety was compromised at the Make In India Week cultural event.
“Mumbai Police and Fire Brigade should lodge FIR of negligence against the event organiser,” Galgali said.
