iWITNESS

As Sunday's fire at Girgaum Chowpatty's Make in India stage quickly spread, licking the sides of a scaffolding rig and lighting up the night sky, many of us were reminded of how the Bombay High Court had denied granting permission to the state government to host the event on the beach front. But, it also reminded us about how a persistent government then approached the Supreme Court to get the due permission for the event to go ahead as per their grand plans.The Bombay High Court, in its rejection, had followed the rules set by a committee constituted in 2001 to coordinate between various authorities, with the intention of regulating the activities on the beach front. The committee had suggested that no political events should be allowed at the beach.The High Court, while rejecting the application, had observed, “The beaches cannot be allowed to be used for such events as proposed by the State.The beaches will have to be protected by every citizen in the light of the fundamental duty under clause (g) of Article 51A. The beaches cannot be allowed to be damaged by construction of a stage, back stage rooms, toilets etc. A large crowd will assemble to watch the event which consists of music and folk dances. It is not neces sary to elaborate the adverse effects of such a large gathering on the beach.“The state government, while arguing their case, had hit on the sentimental value attached to the big event, saying that the prestige of the country depended on it and dignitaries like Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be in attendance, thereby making it imperative for the state to strive to put their best foot forward.But the High Court had hit back saying that as per the tendered plans and the statements made by representatives of Wizcraft ­ the event management company in charge of the grand affair -they required at least 15 days to construct the stage and other paraphernalia.The stage dimensions submitted were of gargantuan proportions ­ the area covered by the stage would be of around 1,000 sq metres i.e. over 11,000 sq feet, with a length of 160 feet, width of 85 feet and a height of 6 feet. Other facilities would include seven green rooms, few storage rooms, back stage rooms, catering room and toilets.According to the 2001 committee, there were three primary reasons to keep congestion of the area and congregation on the area at bay.Firstly, the qualification of the adjoining road as a VIP road made it mandatory to avoid traffic congestions and ensure a free movement of vehicles at all times; secondly, the committee apprehended a bottleneck situation in case of any misadventure; and thirdly, any event at the area would make it impossible to guarantee space for people to alight from their cars or to park their vehicles.Besides, the area is also supposed to be a `silent' zone owing to the presence of an educational institute and a hospital in the vicinity ­ Wilson College and Dr Purandare Hospital respectively.The committee had been extremely selective with the granting of permissions, and had allowed only a few religious or related events to take place, which were Ganpati and Durga idol immersions, organising Ram Leela and Krishna Leela and Christmas celebrations, only because these events had been organised over there for many years.However, this was not the first time that the state government had not gotten its way with permissions for this stretch of land. In 2005, it had sought a 60-day relaxation of these rules every year for holding events as per the state's desire or requirements, which they would give clearances to.This request, however, was rejected and the committee's recommendations were followed.“I had gone to change for the next sequence when the fire started. Suddenly, everyone was screaming. The organisers did some quick thinking and alerted the performers by switching off the music. Evacuation started immediately at all five gates of the venue and all artists were escorted to their cars and vanity vans.The organisers, police and fire brigade did a stupendous job.They made sure there was no stampede and began tackling the fire immediately, risking their lives.““Now I know what people mean when they say `Run for your life'. I was moving towards the stage for my performance with around 60 other dancers when I heard screaming and saw people in the crowd signalling for us to get off the stage. Suddenly there were flames. People were shouting. There was chaos. The dancers with me dropped the props they were holding. We ran to the back of the stage and towards our vanity van. The fire spread rapidly because of the wind.“