India, Sept. 21 -- The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) fire brigade on Sunday widened its ongoing fire-safety crackdown beyond PG accommodations, hostels and coaching centres to scrap shops and godowns, ordering the closure of 20 establishments in Wadgaon Budruk, Nhe and Dhayari for allegedly operating without mandatory fire-safety and other civic permissions.

The action came on the third consecutive day of inspections ordered by PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram following a citywide drive to identify establishments operating without adequate fire-safety arrangements and mandatory permissions.

According to the fire brigade, 13 PG accommodations and seven scrap-material shops and godowns were found lacking various mandatory permissio...