City high-rises big fire hazards

[sidmis]

City high-rises big fire hazards
as reported by Sachin Dravekar, TNN, 14 Aug 2008,

NAGPUR: Just days after a major fire at Lokmat Bhavan claimed two
lives and injured many others, information coming through an RTI query
has raised doubts about the way the NMC fire department functions and
enforces fire safety measures in high-rise buildings. The RTI query
reveals that many buildings may have failed to adhere to norms set by
the fire brigade but still secured provisional or final fire
compliance certificates.

Sources in the fire brigade expressed fears that as many as 90 per
cent of the 431 high-rises, defined as those with more than five
storeys, may not have adequate fire safety systems, putting the lives
of hundreds at risk. Most buildings, shopping malls and complexes
constructed on 500 sq meters carpet area or more have only a
provisional compliance certificate by the fire department, said the
sources.

An RTI inquiry by corporator Subhash Aprajit and Sudhanand Meher
recently revealed that the NMC fire department had issued fire
compliance certificates and provisional certificates to many high-rise
buildings illegally.

Talking to TOI, Subhash Aprajit said that the former chief fire
officer Sunil Meshram, who had faced departmental inquiry and
suspension during his tenure for issuing no objection certificates to
almost 624 buildings, had issued around 20 fire compliance and
provisional no-objection certificates in the two days before he
retired on March 31, 2008.

Aparajit has said, quoting RTI figures, the reinstated chief fire
officer, on the last day of his retirement (March 31, 2008) issued
compliance and provisional no-objection certificates to 12 high-rise
buildings, while 5 buildings were issued certificates on March 29,
just two days before retirement. The same officer, taking personal
interest, had also issued provisional compliance certificates to other
buildings too after he had been reinstated.

City high-rises big fire hazards-Nagpur-Cities-The Times of India