The Times of India 28.02.2013
JMC lax towards making Walled City fire-proof
JAIPUR: With the fire at
the marketplace in Sealdah, Kolkata, taking 18 lives, it is still
lessons not learnt for the Walled City.
The past fire incidents in the Walled city area seem to have taught nothing to the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. Most city markets are vulnerable to fire accidents as majority of the shopkeepers do not have even the basic fire-fighting equipments.
Rajasthan Vyapar Mahasangh vice president Suresh Saini said recently, "A majority of the shopkeepers have taken no safety measures. It is very necessary to douse a fire at the initial stage before it goes out of control. We will write to all the associations to make it compulsory for traders to have fire extinguishers."
Many areas in the Walled City including Purohitji Ka Katla, Gheewalon Ka Rasta and Haldiyo Ka Rasta are prone to fire disasters.
Last year, there was a fire in the narrow lanes of Baba Harish Chand Marg which claimed three lives. The fire department controlled the fire with a lot of difficulty. Thus, the incident caused a lot of damage.
Chief fire officer Ishwar Lal Jat said, "The Walled City has narrow lanes and it requires extra effort to extinguish the fire. Also, there are lots of encroachments and traffic congestion is always there so even a small fire could turn into a major one for the lack of proper fire fighting measures."
He added, "The narrow lanes make it extremely difficult for firefighters to carry out the rescue operations."
Despite space crunch, the shopkeepers demand that fire tenders be stationed outside every gate of the Walled City.
Meanwhile, Vijay Ajmera, a resident of the Walled City area, said, "The JMC department is doing nothing to ensure safety of the residents. There are so many commercial activities going on in the narrow residential lanes, however, there is no one check to it."
He added, "In the past one year, more than 10 fire incidents at illegal commercial places were reported in the Walled city area. But, no action has been taken so far."
The past fire incidents in the Walled city area seem to have taught nothing to the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. Most city markets are vulnerable to fire accidents as majority of the shopkeepers do not have even the basic fire-fighting equipments.
Rajasthan Vyapar Mahasangh vice president Suresh Saini said recently, "A majority of the shopkeepers have taken no safety measures. It is very necessary to douse a fire at the initial stage before it goes out of control. We will write to all the associations to make it compulsory for traders to have fire extinguishers."
Many areas in the Walled City including Purohitji Ka Katla, Gheewalon Ka Rasta and Haldiyo Ka Rasta are prone to fire disasters.
Last year, there was a fire in the narrow lanes of Baba Harish Chand Marg which claimed three lives. The fire department controlled the fire with a lot of difficulty. Thus, the incident caused a lot of damage.
Chief fire officer Ishwar Lal Jat said, "The Walled City has narrow lanes and it requires extra effort to extinguish the fire. Also, there are lots of encroachments and traffic congestion is always there so even a small fire could turn into a major one for the lack of proper fire fighting measures."
He added, "The narrow lanes make it extremely difficult for firefighters to carry out the rescue operations."
Despite space crunch, the shopkeepers demand that fire tenders be stationed outside every gate of the Walled City.
Meanwhile, Vijay Ajmera, a resident of the Walled City area, said, "The JMC department is doing nothing to ensure safety of the residents. There are so many commercial activities going on in the narrow residential lanes, however, there is no one check to it."
He added, "In the past one year, more than 10 fire incidents at illegal commercial places were reported in the Walled city area. But, no action has been taken so far."
