If building owners fail to install fire safety equipment in their complexes in the next three months, the GHMC will declare the buildings as ‘fire unsafe’ and paint the building with skull and crossbones symbol on the building premises, informing people that the building poses danger to their lives and request them to stay away from such fire hazardous buildings, GHMC special officer Somesh Kumar has said.
‘’Almost 90 percent of shopping malls, cinema theatres, multiplexes, educational institutions, function halls, hospitals, nursing homes, cracker shops blatantly violate fire safety norms,’’ he pointed out.
Despite several warnings and issuing notices by the fire prevention wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), they failed to install fire safety measures in their buildings. Delivering a keynote address on security and surveillance challenges in smart cities during a seminar on ‘India Fire and Security Yatra (IFSY) 2015’ organised by Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) here on Friday, Somesh Kumar said that to deal with complacent and erring owners of shopping complexes, schools, hospitals, cinema theatres and function halls, GHMC has planned to initiate action against the errant building owners.
‘’It is unfortunate that owners who construct big shopping malls, commercial complexes, corporate hospitals, function halls and cinema halls by investing crores of rupees fail to install fire safety measures in their buildings which cost a few lakh rupees only. They have least regard to the safety of human beings,’’ he said.
‘’If we strongly insist the owners to install fire safety measures in their buildings, they temporarily put up few sprinklers and fire extinguishers and wash off their hands,’’ he said.
Though there are Acts to deal with fire accident issues but they are not stringent and firm to punish the erring building owners. The GHMC in coordination with Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services will see that owners comply with fire safety rules, he said. GHMC will involve FSAI and other organisations in creating awareness on fire safety issues and the need to install fire safety equipment on their premises, he said. FSAI Hyderabad chapter president Narayan Bhosekar said the seminar covers topics on security, surveillance challenges, creating and managing tall, smart and safe buildings to which FSAI laid a roadmap.
