Observing that proper implementation of Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, is required in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to give details of the fire audits carried out by it on new buildings which were granted Occupancy Certificate (OC) in 2015. A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and GS Kulkarni has given two weeks to the corporation to inform whether there are any guidelines in place to ensure proper fire safety in buildings and whether it appointed an authorised officer to check if the buildings have complied with the rules laid down under the Act.
The civic body informed the court that it has been regularly carrying out fire safety audits and has issued notices to several buildings in the city and suburbs which have not complied with the rules in the Act and even in some cases prosecution has been initiated. The information was given during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by a law professor, Sharmila Ghughe, who has claimed that though the Act came into force in 2006 and rules were framed in 2009, it has not been properly implemented.
