Linking Road in Bandra is known not just as a bargain hunter’s haven, but also for its congested streets and crowded buildings. Yesterday, a fire broke out in just one such cramped shopping mall, allegedly housing more shops than it has a permit for. On arriving there, firemen discovered that the building did not even have fire fighting equipment, and gas cylinders were being kept against regulations in the basement.

In fact, as this paper had reported last year, it was at the same mall that the basement parking was blocked because an illegal shop had been set up in the car lift. Such instances raise several questions. Do such buildings even possess the basic permits? Were fire audits carried out there and was any action taken if irregularities were found?