Kamala Mills fire: CINTAA, Producers Guild join to make sets fire compliant

Following the devastating fire in Mumbai Lower Parel’s Kamala Mills Compound which led to 14 deaths on Friday, Bollywood and the TV industry also admit that there is a need for better infrastructure, particularly for fire safety.

A recent survey from Cine and TV Artists’ Association (CINTAA) even exposed the critical conditions several film and TV show sets have to endure every day.

DNA quotes CINTAA Joint Secretary Amit Behl as saying, “We have done a survey in which we have found 72 per cent of the sets in appalling conditions most of them are not fire compliant. They are like matchboxes, which can catch fire anytime. We have submitted our report to health and fire department on the same. The fire at Kamala Mills is a wake-up call for the film and TV industry. If we don’t spruce up the safety measures, a single incident can harm over 150 people.’’

Amit, who has been closely watching the industry for long, further states to DNA, “Many studios, like the ones in Mira Road, Naigaon, Kanjurmarg, and Umergaon have no safety measures. None of them are fire compliant and most TV shoots take place in these studios. I don’t blame the producers but the studio owners are not following the norms and they are to be blamed.’’

However, the organisation has now taken the initiative and has joined hands with the Film and Television Producers Guild to focus on the safety and health issues of those who are involved with this industry.

On Friday, the fire broke out on the rooftop of the 1-Above restaurant when its shed, made of bamboo and plastic, started to burn. It engulfed the building in less than 30 minutes with dozens of people trapped inside.