The Hindu 10.02.2010
GHMC to inspect public buildings
Special Correspondent
| After inspections, notices to be issued for rectification within 45-60 days |
HYDERABAD: The GHMC has decided to inspect all buildings with public usage including hospitals, schools and commercial establishments of less than 15 metres height or less than five floors to check for fire and life safety features among them.
Hospital inspections are to begin from next week (February 15) and all buildings are to be covered divided into three stages.
The decision was a follow up to a meeting held last week attended by Commissioner Sameer Sharma, Director General State Disaster Response and Fire Services Aruna Bahuguna, District Medical & Health Officer (DMHO) Ch. Jaya Kumari and others, said Additional Director, Fire Prevention Wing, K. Jayaram Naik on Tuesday.
The meeting was held in the aftermath of fire mishap at Park Hospital in Somajiguda. The subsequent collapse of a building under construction at Narayanaguda too led to the inspection schedule announcement.
Mr. Naik said that after inspecting the existing buildings; notices would be issued for rectification of deficiencies within 45 days to 60 days. For hospitals, the inspection report furnishing deficiencies in fire and life safety measures would be handed over to DMHO.
She, in turn, will be issuing notices to owners of hospitals to take up preventive measures within 60 days failing which action is to be taken. Similarly, for education institutions, inspection report will be given to the respective district Collectors and District Educational Officers for pursuing the matter.
The Additional Director explained that the following buildings would be inspected: Stage I – all hospitals in buildings of less than five floors and up to 50 beds. Stage II- all malls, commercial buildings, marriage halls, shopping centres, departmental stores, hotels, lodges, bars & restaurants run in buildings of height of 10 metres to 15 metres or three to five floors. Stage III - all schools run from buildings of even two floors.
For hotels, lodges, bars and others, GHMC’s fire prevention wing itself will do the inspections and issue notices on the deficiencies unearthed to the owners. They too will be given 60 days to take up safety and preventive measures.
NOC mandatory
As for the new buildings where hotels, hospitals, lodges, bars, function halls, religious congregation facilities, etc., are to come up in structures of less than five floors, taking up a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) has been made mandatory to obtain the occupancy certificate from the Municipal Corporation.
Inspection schedule for hospitals is as follows: February 15 to 20, 75 buildings in L.B. Nagar, Dilshuknagar, Malakpet, Koti, Secunderabad , Uppal. From February 22 to 26, 155 in Hayathnagar, Kukatpally, Panjagutta, Gandhinagar, West Maredpally, Mehdipatnam. From March 1 to 6, 160 in Narayanguda, Kachiguda, Nampally, KPHB Colony and Himayathnagar.
