Tejas Navale

Pimpri- Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal administration has started taking action against those who are flouting the administration's rule regarding fire safety systems in commercial and residential buildings. In the first phase, the municipal corporation sent notices to more than 1000 such establishments and business owners regarding it and warned them of strict action if proper action was not taken on it in due time.

Recently, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation conducted a survey campaign in selective regions of the city. In this survey, the corporation has found that in many commercial and residential buildings, there is a lack of a proper fire safety system. Considering the threat it can cause to city infrastructure and to the lives of people, the municipal corporation has started taking measures.

The pace of urbanisation is rapidly increasing in Pimpri-Chinchwad city. In this background, many commercial and residential buildings are being built in the city. However, these buildings often neglect to place proper fire safety systems in residential buildings.

According to the statistics, the fire department receives more than 1,000 complaints of fire mishaps in the city every year.

Apart from this, the increasing density of buildings often creates obstacles for the fire safety department to promptly extinguish the fire in case of an emergency. Taking all these points into consideration, Commissioner Shekhar Singh ordered the municipal administration to conduct a survey campaign in Talawade, Chikhli, and adjacent areas.

Accordingly, the fire safety department conducted a survey in the Chikhli, Talwade, Rupinagar, and Chinchwad areas in the first phase. During this, the municipality issued notices to more than a thousand establishments and business owners who were running dangerous businesses and did not take any measures regarding them. The municipality also warned them of stricter action if they did not take any action on it after the second round of notices.

Manoj Lonkar, Deputy Commissioner of the Fire Department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, said, "After the survey, notices have been issued for the second time to those who neglect to implement the fire safety system. For this, the focus is on the dangerous fire-prone areas. If the expected action is not taken, strict action will be taken against them, like disconnection of electricity and water supply or sealing of property."

During the assessment, the municipal authorities noted some unexpected patterns. Residential structures exhibit a blend of commercial activities, while commercial buildings accommodate residential occupants. Business establishments are mandated to acquire fire department certification for safety, yet the survey revealed a disregard for this requirement. Additionally, there is a lack of interest in adhering to essential safety measures in unauthorised areas.

As per the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Protection Measures Rules, commercial establishments are required to implement fire safety systems. There is a provision for action in cases of violation of rules. As per rules, an ABC fire extinguisher of six kg capacity, a modular extinguisher of 10 kg, a manual fire alarm, an LPG gas detection system, a fire hose, a hose reel hose, a fire pump, etc. with an ISI rating are required in commercial establishments. A fire safety certificate is issued only after checking these measures. However, the inspection has found that these rules are often neglected.