Mumbai, Dec 30 (PTI): Following the fire at a roof-top pub in the Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai in which 14 persons died today, Congress MLA Nitesh Rane alleged that many restaurants get away with breach of safety norms by bribing civic officials.

“Many restaurants in Mumbai do not follow the safety norms and all they do is bribe the local BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) officers and get away with it. Now a probe will be ordered…the ones who r responsible will not even be punished!! There r many Kamala mills in the waiting..Nothing will change!!” Rane tweeted.

“Why only blame the restaurant owner and not the BMC officer who kept quiet while he was breaking the rules..both r equally responsible!” he said.

Rane also claimed that according to one of his friends, `hookah’ offered at the restaurant provided the trigger for the fire. However, the city fire brigade authorities haven’t ascribed the outbreak of fire to any specific cause yet.