Though GVMC is responsible for ensuring that buildings less than 15
metres in height (five floors) in the city comply with the fire safety
norms, the civic body itself does not believe in adhering to these
rules, turning its own building at Asilmetta into a potential firetrap.

This alarming aspect came to light on Wednesday afternoon when a minor
fire erupted in the air conditioning unit in the cellar, triggering a
few tense moments at the corporation building. Timely intervention by
the fire safety wing of the corporation averted a possible inferno.

The corporation had given a facelift to the old corporation building in
2005, before it was bestowed upon the status of the Greater City. In a
major lapse, the authorities “forgot” to set up fire safety equipment in
the massive building that accommodates the city health, planning,
revenue, engineering and other wings in its two cellars, ground and
other two floors.

With nearly four hundred employees usually on
the duty at any given point of time in the building, none of the
floors, including the cellar and sub-cellar, is equipped with fire
safety equipment. Eight years after it became corporation of the Greater
City, GVMC does not have any sprinkler system, fire extinguishers or
hose-reel to tackle any fire accidents.

“It would be a disaster
in case a fire breaks out on any of the floors in the building, which
has loads of files pertaining to revenue, town planning, engineering,
projects, medical and health, besides urban community development (UCD)
and other wings,” GVMC sources said.

The only thing the GVMC
building has is a two-way staircase exit on each floor for evacuation in
the event of a fire accident. In case of a fire breakout at GVMC,
similar to the incident that occurred at Sri Sai Complex at Dwarakanagar
on Monday, where scores of people were stranded inside the building and
were almost suffocated due to the thick smoke, the building could be a
deathtrap.

According to sources, though the fire prevention
wing of GVMC has already submitted a report listing out the deficiencies
in the entire building and the essential fire safety equipment required
three months ago, the file is pending with the engineering department.
“It is surprising that the civic body has failed to implement the law it
lays down for others in its own building over the past decade, putting
the lives of hundreds of people including, staff and the visitors, in
risk,” city CPM secretary Ganga Rao alleged.

When contacted,
GVMC’s chief engineer Jayarami Reddy said they were preparing the
estimations and would call for tenders in a week or two and the fire
safety equipment would be installed in a couple of months.

However, GVMC fire prevention wing officer SV Narasimham said
commissioner M V Satyanarayana had already instructed the engineering
wing to take necessary action after the lack of fire safety measures in
the building came to his notice three months ago. But the engineering
wing officials are yet to set up the equipment that costs a mere Rs 10
lakh to secure the entire building, sources said.