Thane civic HQ fire sparks political row, politicians call for independent probe

Thane: A fire broke out on Monday morning in the town planning department located on the fourth floor of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) headquarters in Panchpakhadi.

The blaze is believed to have damaged few computers and documents storing crucial information, though civic authorities were yet to disclose the extent of the losses till late evening. Viral videos however showed stacks of partially burnt and water-soaked files being moved and stored across rooms on the affected floor, fuelling concerns.

According to a senior civic official, the fire was reported around 8 am, suspected to have been triggered by overheating of a UPS system connected to a computer that was accidentally left switched on since Friday.

“The fire was confined to a limited section of the department, and no injuries were reported as the incident occurred before office hours. Normal office operations resumed after safety checks,” TMC chief fire officer Girish Jhalke said, adding that a detailed report would clarify the exact cause of the incident.

The incident, however, triggered sharp reactions from political parties, particularly because the department houses crucial records related to building approvals, sanctions and Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). Opposition leaders questioned whether the blaze was accidental or deliberate, citing ongoing investigations involving several planning-related files.

Senior BJP corporator Narayan Pawar demanded a complete disclosure of all files and records damaged or missing in the fire. He noted that several TDR approvals and planning documents are currently under scrutiny, including those by the CBI, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and even the High Court. It may be recalled that the department was in the news for a massive Rs 2800 cr TDR allotment deal.

“Despite earlier concerns raised about fire risks, preventive measures were never taken. The administration must reveal details of the fire audit status of the HQ and the CCTVs must also be examined to rule out foul play,” he said.

NCP (SP) Thane district president Manoj Pradhan and corporator Yasin Qureshi sought an independent assessment of the incident by a third-party agency and details of fire safety audits for all TMC-owned buildings. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) district chief Kedar Dighe urged caution against prematurely attributing the incident to a short circuit and demanded that digital backups of critical records be made public if the administration claims that important files remain secure.