The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Thursday announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of two civic staffers who died in the massive fire at the Gaondevi vegetable market in the early hours of the day, while Rs 1 lakh each will be provided to the injured.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting convened following instructions from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The meeting was attended by Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar, Member of Parliament (MP) Naresh Mhaske, and Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, among others.
Fifty-five-year-old security guard Kalu Shankar Gadekar and fire brigade station officer Sagar Suryakant Shinde (42) lost their lives in the blaze that broke out at around 3.30 am at the Gaondevi vegetable market.
The injured — Sujit Pashte (45) and Sameer Jadhav (40) — are undergoing treatment at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital and are said to be in stable condition.
The civic administration also decided to provide jobs on compassionate grounds to eligible members of the deceased employees’ families as per government rules.
TMC said all 155 affected stall holders from the market will be rehabilitated at the same site by June 1. Currently, the clean-up work is underway, following which structural and fire audits of the building will be conducted.
TMC plans fire safety overhaul, compensation for traders after Gaodevi market blaze
The civic body said repair work, including painting and electrical restoration, will be completed before vendors are shifted back to the premises. Discussions were also held regarding compensation for losses suffered by traders in the fire.
Officials said measures would be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future, including strengthening fire safety infrastructure and increasing insurance coverage for emergency and fire department personnel.
Deputy CM Shinde reviewed the situation with civic chief Rao and directed officials to send proposals seeking aid for the victims’ families from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and the state emergency response department.
During the meeting, Leader of the House Hanmant Jagtap suggested installing firefighting systems at the market before vendors are rehabilitated and proposed stationing two fire brigade vehicles at Dadoji Konddev Stadium for quicker emergency response. The commissioner said a decision on the proposal would be taken within two to three days.
