Navi Mumbai: Fire Audit Of Nerul's Shushrusha Hospital Stalled Over Basement, Terrace Encroachments

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) fire brigade has said that the fire safety audit of Nerul Sector-6 based Shushrusha Hospital will be renewed only after the hospital clears encroachments made in the basement and on the terrace of the hospital structure.

Repeated Notices Ignored

"Besides having a x ray centre in the basement, they have added load onto the terrace and are using that area too. We have given them a notice saying that they need to clear the encroah6firat after which a fire audit would be conducted and then only after that the B form of fire safety would be renewed," NMMC Chief fire officer Purushottam Jadhav said.

August 11 Fire Incident

A fire broke out in the hospital on August 11 narrowly avoiding a major tragedy. The incident exposed serious lapses in fire safety arrangements, as the hospital has not renewed its mandatory fire safety audit since December 2024. According to officials, they had applied for the renewal and it was pending. Officials revealed that the fire brigade had directed the hospital to clear the basement of clutter as early as 2023, but the orders were ignored. The basement also housed an operational X-ray unit, further heightening the risk.

Patients and Staff Rescued

“Since 2023, we have issued repeated notices to remove the basement clutter, but no action was taken. Although the hospital has applied online for renewal of its fire audit, the process is pending. The hospital must comply fully with fire safety norms before we conduct the audit,” another fire officer said.

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Safety Audit Pending Since 2024

A total of 21 patients evacuated on August 11 when the fire broke out. No casualties were reported. At the time of the fire, four patients were in the ICU at first floor, 15 in another ward at the second floor and two more at the third floor. The fire had started from the basement wherein they had set up an xray room. There was a AC unit in the basement and the fire started from the compressor, Jadhav said adding that there were a lot of stationary items near the AC unit which immediately caught fire. There was no vent for the smoke to pass and it travelled to the upper floors through the lift duct.

Along with the patients, there were 42 hospital staff as well who too were rescued.