Mumbai fire: BJP Lawmaker Hema Malini blames high population
NEW DELHI : Reacting to the massive fire at a rooftop pub in Mumbai which claimed 14 lives, BJP MP Hema Malini on Friday said such accidents occur due to high population and suggested that a population limit should be fixed for each city.
Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini stoked a controversy after she reportedly blamed rising population and presence of large number of migrants in the city as ‘reasons’ for the massive fire in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills that claimed at least 14 lives.
The fire, which also injured 21 people, started after 12.30 am in the ‘1 Above’ pub on the terrace, and spread to Mojo pub on the third floor one level below, said an official of the Mumbai civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
1 Above and Mojo are located in the Trade House Building in Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area, a popular night spot as well as commercial hub housing several offices including national television channels.
She said the accident took place due to negligence of authorities and wondered how could they ignore safety standards before giving permission to run such pubs. To a query by a TV channel about frequent accidents in Mumbai, she said, “It is because of too much population in Mumbai city.
“Some restrictions should be imposed on population. First of all, each city should have certain population, certain limit. After that they (people) should not be allowed. Let them go to another city, next city,” Malini said.
The 65-year-old Lok Sabha BJP MP BJP from Mathura said that population is a big problem in the city and it should be controlled. “It’s not that the police are not doing their job.
They do a great job, but the population is so high. When Bombay ends, another city should begin. But the city keeps extending…. Uncontrollable…” said the actor-turned-politician.
“The administration has allowed every migrant to live in the city. However, looking at the wide population in the city, the authorities should have brought in some restrictions here to control the population.”
This is not the first time when Malini has come out with a sensational remark. In September this year, she had stirred a controversy with her remark that stated that ‘widows from West Bengal and Bihar should not crowd Vrindavan’, the holy city in Uttar Pradesh and home to thousands of destitute women.
“If they (widows) are not from here then there is no need for them to come here from other states. There are many famous temples in Bengal and Bihar too, where they can stay,” she said.
