ESIC Hospital Blaze: Fire department compliance up, but mishaps continue

A rigorous process of inspections and action by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) fire department has started bearing fruit. While there has been no decline in fire-related incidents, buildings have improved their compliance norms considerably.

According to official data, only 9 per cent of buildings inspected by the fire department hadn't completed fire norms since August this year, as against 57 per cent over the last three and a half years.

The fire department inspected 5,231 buildings between January 2015 and July 2018, an average of 122 buildings per month. Of these, 2,254 buildings were found to have complied with the norms. Notices were issued to 2,942 buildings, and action was taken against 35 buildings.

But since August, 911 buildings across the city were inspected in just three months. Of these, only 84 societies were slapped with notices, while 826 others were found to have their compliance in place.

"We are taking action and serving them with notices if there aren't proper fire safety systems in place," said an officer from the fire department.