The Times of India 22.04.2013
VMC to ensure fire safety in its buildings
norms in the city, itself seems to be lacking on this front. To take
care of the lacunae in the system, the civic body has issued an advisory
to all its officials asking them to take a series of steps to ensure
that fire safety is taken care of.
From precautionary
measures to refurbishing of electrical wirings and installing fire
fighting equipment on its premises – the civic body has issued a long
advisory to all its key functionaries. The move comes 2.5 years after a
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM)
team had suggested that the civic body should look into the matter. The
VMC had also prepared a plan for fire safety in all its establishments.
The ageing Khanderao Market headquarters of the civic body has
seen a couple of minor incidents of fire in the recent past. While
major damage has been averted in the recent past, the BJP office in the
VMC headquarters had been gutted in a fire in January 2011.
The
series of instructions issued earlier this month include using conduit
pipes for electrical wiring and installing miniature circuit breakers.
It has also been suggested that sufficient number of fire extinguishers
should be installed and the security staff should be trained to use
them. Special attention will have to be paid to stores and similar
places that have crucial documents or equipment. Officials have also
been asked to ensure that smoke detectors are installed.
Other suggestions include ensuring that inflammable material is not stored in VMC offices
and if this is done, proper safety measures are in place. Officials
have also been asked to get rid of unnecessary material and papers. The
fire department has been asked to prepare a response plan to deal with
fires in any VMC premises. It has also been suggested that flooring,
roofing and partitions that are fire resistant should be used by the
civic body.
