Skyscrapers dot skyline,tinderbox on ground….Sharad Vyas
In 10 Years The City Lost Rs 90 Cr To Fires,But Only 84 Highrises Put Under BMC Scanner
In 10 Years The City Lost Rs 90 Cr To Fires,But Only 84 Highrises Put Under BMC Scanner
Avertically growing city over the years has created a skyline dotted with skyscrapers,but the haphazard growth has also resulted in more fire tragedies and mishaps.However,despite the introduction of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measure Act in 2006,the BMC seems to have learnt no lessons.It has inspected only 84 highrises in 10 years and not carried out a single prosecution.This,though 3,308 Mumbaikars died and another 7,830 were injured in fire -related incidents over the decade.
A Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Pune-based activist Vihar Durve revealed that while Mumbai suffered property loss worth Rs 89.8 crore in the last 10 years in fire mishaps,the BMC did not do much to improve the situation.It inspected only 84-odd high-rises for violations of fire safety norms as compared to over 350 surveyed by Pune Municipal Corporation during the same period.
It is an embarrassment of sorts that the smaller municipal corporation of Pune managed far better implementation of fire safety norms.The PMC in 10 years inspected over 350 buildings compared to only 84 surveyed by the BMC, said Durve.
The reply to Durves application revealed that though the Mumbai fire brigade has spent several crores on modernisation of its fire fleet,many of the citys skyscrapers still lack the hi-tech equipment required under the law.
Most of the citys landmark buildings lack the adequate access and ventilation,an independent fire lift and staircase,separate electric cable shaft and electric meter room,dry and wet risers and automatic sprinkler system.
A fire in a Kalbadevi building in 2008,for instance,killed a woman and her child.Though it wasnt a skyscraper,the building was in a very narrow lane typical of the area and firemen had trouble reaching it.The lack of facilities at the place didnt help either.And at Goyal Shopping Centre,Borivli,in February this year,a fireman died of suffocation,as the basement of the mall where the fire started didnt have any ventilator.It was not a high-rise,but fire safety norms were not adhered to,costing a life.
Sources in the fire department said not a single prosecution has been carried out since the Fire Safety Act came into effect.We could have easily prosecuted many of them for not installing basic equipment,fire pump,sprinkler pump,booster pump and a manual fire alarm system along with a potable fire extinguisher,at least 20 of 10 kg each.Even these basic facilities are missing in many of the landmark buildings in the city, said a senior fire official.