They will not be allowed to function if they do not abide by fire safety norms
New malls and multiplexes in the city will not be allowed to function if they do give as much attention to fire safety norms as they do to their interiors.
The general body meeting of the municipal corporation on Tuesday unanimously approved a suggestion made by Congress corporator Dharmesh Vyas to withhold development permissions and occupation certificates to malls and multiplexes till they conformed to the fire-safety norms, including providing two emergency fire exits.
Vyas said a lot of malls and multiplexes were springing up in the financial hub. “The retail conveniences attract a lot of crowd, especially during weekends. Most malls have only a single lift and only one emergency exit. Fire norms stipulate that two emergency exits need to be provided by all multiplexes. BMC must stop issuing permissions if the norms are not implemented.”
Municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak will now file his report on the suggestion. If he seconds it, it is likely to become a bill.
A random survey carried out by the Mumbai fire brigade in April had found that at least 19 malls in the city, including big ones like Big Bazaar at Phoenix Mills in Lower Parel, Atria Mall at Worli, Inox Mall at Nariman Point, PVR Shopping Complex at Juhu and Nirmal Lifestyle at Mulund, were flouting fire-safety norms.