Pune: PMC, Gas Agency Under Fire As 26-Year-Old Dies In Dhankawadi Tea Stall Blaze (VIDEOS) | Sourced
26-year-old orphan Santosh Hegde, a native of Solapur, arrived in Pune seeking work and started his job at a tea stall in the Dhankawadi area on Sunday, March 30. It was supposed to be his first step towards a better future, but tragically, it became his last. On his very first day at work, a devastating fire broke out at the tea stall, claiming his life.
For the unversed, a massive fire broke out at Saiba Amruttulya in the KK Market area at 4pm on Sunday. According to fire brigade officials, Hegde was heating milk when the fire erupted inside the shop. “The newly hired worker got trapped inside and sustained severe burns. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival,” an official said.
According to preliminary information, the fire started due to a leakage in one of the eight gas cylinders stored in the stall. The fire soon spread throughout the stall. Other people present in the stall managed to escape, but Hegde could not. The blaze also destroyed the shop’s materials and affected two neighbouring shops.
A press statement issued by Pune Fire Department PRO Nilesh Mahajan read, “The Pune Fire Department responded promptly and deployed fire-fighting vehicles from Katraj and Gangadham fire stations, managing to bring the fire under control and dousing it completely to prevent further spread.”
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Vijay Kenchi, who owns a curtain shop beside the tea stall, said the eatery was illegal and that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had previously removed it for encroachment.
“The tea stall was illegal and was started 8–9 months ago. The PMC removed the encroachment earlier, but it was reinstalled. The total area of the shop is nearly 200 square feet, and keeping eight gas cylinders together is illegal and a serious threat to nearby shops, customers and commuters. Several vehicles are parked near the shop, and a crowd of 100–200 people is always present. The PMC should take action against illegal establishments and stalls. Hegde’s life could have been saved if he had a proper space to work. The space was too congested. No fire extinguishers were installed,” said Kenchi.
Meanwhile, the PMC and the gas agency have come under fire following the incident. A total of eight commercial gas cylinders were kept inside the shop, out of which two were leaking, raising questions about the gas agency that provided them. Despite there being no safe space to store them, eight cylinders were still supplied to a single shop.
Rahul Gaud, Senior Police Inspector of Sahkarnagar Police Station, said, “In the initial stage of the investigation, a short circuit and the leakage of two gas cylinders appear to be the cause of the incident.” He added, “The hotel owner, Keshav Jadhav, and Hegde knew each other, so Jadhav had called him for a job. A day before the incident, Hegde arrived at the shop for work. Jadhav had taken a franchisee of Saiba Amruttulya.” Gaund further stated that they will interrogate the franchise about the safety norms they enforce.
Rahul Aware, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zone 2, said, “The gas agency officials will be interrogated due to the lack of safety measures and the leakage of commercial gas cylinders. Jadhav has been booked, and the matter is under investigation. Soon, police will take action against whoever is responsible for the negligence.”
It has also come to light that Jadhav has had more than two cases registered against him earlier at the police station for negligence and for violating the shop’s closing deadline.
