Following the Kamala Mills fire, the Mumbai Fire Brigade has decided to set up a toll-free number. Citizens can easily register their complaints through this number and even alert the fire brigade about any accident.
According to Chief Fire Officer P Rahangdale, the fire brigade is working on the proposal. “Very soon, we will share the toll-free number with people. Anyone can call or send messages to us. Everything will be well documented. Once the complaint is addressed, the complainant will be informed about it. However, people need to be aware of the fire-safety measures. Most of the time people notice things — possible dangers — but they do not bother to take them seriously and inform us,” he said.
Citizens will have to be proactive, he said. “In the last four years, we have taken action on 4,000 complaints and prosecuted 11 persons. When we see a lapse in fire-safety measure, we issue notices to housing societies and commercial complexes. People do comply, but some time they ignore as well. If our notices are not taken seriously, we prosecute defaulters. But that percentage is low because people do comply and inform us,” said Rahangdale.
The Chief Fire Officer said when people submit their proposals all details in the submitted plan are checked.
