The fire department officials of Surat Municipal Corporation have sealed 10 private schools in the city for failing to install fire safety equipment on their premises even after they were issued notices. After the Takshashila arcade fire in Surat, which claimed the lives of 22 students, the fire department had instructed all education institutions, hospitals, commercial and residential complexes, textile markets, factories, malls and multiplexes to install fire safety equipment and ensure emergency exit passage.
A few months ago, the department had carried out a survey among the schools to find out whether fire safety measures were undertaken by them. The officials had issued notices to the schools to install the safety equipment. The fire department officials carried out a survey among those schools which had been slapped notice to install fire safety equipment. The fire department teams found that ten private schools had not followed the fire safety guidelines, following which their premises were sealed.
Swaminarayan Vidhya School at Simada, Sadhna Niketan School at Varachha, Scholar English School at Pandesara, Ankur Vidhyalay at Katargam, Yogi Vidhyalay at Katargam, Gurukrupa playgroup and nursery school at Sagrampura, Pinkle Playgroup at Sagrampura, Goverdhandas Sonawala Maniba Vidhyalay at Gopipura, Surchand Paramchand Javeri Girls School at Gopipura and K S Joshi School at Shahpore were sealed.
After getting calls from the school authorities, the fire department officials instructed them to give an affidavit on a stamp paper of Rs 300 giving their consent to allow the fire department to file a police complaint against them if fire safety equipment is not installed in seven days. Chief Fire Officer with SMC Basant Pareek said, “We have started taking affidavits in which they have to give consent to the fire department that they will be ready to face police complaints if work is not done in seven days. We will continue our drive for a few more days.”
