The Times of India         10.12.2010

Sealing drive: AMC to target residential flats after Dec 22

AHMEDABAD: It is high time that high rise residential apartments in the city geared up to refurbish their fire safety systems. Post December 22, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will start sealing high rise apartments, if they are found without functional fire safety equipments.

Till now, it was the commercial complexes that were being targeted. On Thursday, Nar Narayan complex in Navrangpura was sealed near Swastik crossroads, just because its fire safety system was not up to the mark.

"This will put many residential societies in a fix as the sealing drive is being directly monitored by the high court. The AMC has no say in this drive. We are dreading that we will be forced to evict families just because their building fire safety system is not in place. The high court is not willing to take a lenient view on this issue," says a senior AMC official involved in the sealing drive.

As far as the fire safety equipments are concerned, the designated societies have to look for certain basic aspects. For instance, the sprinklers in the basement should be operational. Fire pumps and hoses should be functional, carbon dioxide extinguisher should be on each floor and dry powder extinguisher should be available on alternate floors. Each building should be compulsory having a 'break glass' alarm system for fire safety.