On the backdrop 10 deaths in ESIC hospital fire incident, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to underline the statement that the owner or occupant is responsible for fire safety of the building. The BMC will soon carry out an awareness campaign through advertisements on the same. The fire brigade has started taking stringent action towards non-compliance of fire safety act but very few buildings have active fire system.
After Kamla Mill fire in December 2017, issues related to fire safety had taken the centre stage. Though the Mumbai Fire brigade took action against restaurants and hotels for non-compliance, the ESIC hospital b laze had once again highlighted lax fire safety measures at highlighting lax fire safety measures at public places.
Asked about poor fire safety systems at healthcare facilities, I A Kundan, additional commissioner of BMC, "It is mandatory to carry out a fire audit every six months and submit the report to the fire brigade, but very few are following the rule. We don't have the manpower to visit each and every building for audit every six months. And according to the Fire Act, it is the owners' responsibility to take preventive measures and he/she will be held responsible in case of a mishap. We will raise awareness through newspaper advertisements," Kundan told DNA.
"We have already sent letters to Electric Supply Company. According to the Electricity Act, they have to carry out an audit every five years. If they found the system outdated, they can cut off electricity supply," said fire officials. Even though 80 per cent of fire incidents occur because of a short circuit, very few measures are taken to prevent it.
