The Municipal Corporation,on Thursday,directed the representatives of rehri and furniture market to follow fire safety measures in order to prevent mishaps. The directions follow the recent incident of fire at the furniture market where as many as 21 shops were gutted. A meeting of the representatives of the shopkeepers was called by the Joint Commissioner-cum-Chief Fire Officer Rajeev Gupta. The rehri markets in the city are a hub of encroachments. The corridors are lined with goods on display leaving little space for people to walk. There is also no space for the emergency vehicles to pass. At places the equipment installed is either not adequate or the shopkeepers do not know how to use it. The Patel Market Sector 15,Shastri Market Sector 22,Furniture Market Sector 54,Sadar Market and Palika Bazar Sector 19,Rehri Market,Manimajra,Krishna Market in Sector 41 are some of the markets where these problems persist. Gupta asked the shopkeepers to provide sufficient spaces around the market for the movement of firemen during emergency situations. He said that the shopkeepers should come forward to remove the encroachments adjoining their shops so that the fire team can reach upto the source during a fire incident. He also directed them to keep proper vigil in the markets during night time. Shopkeepers were asked to check the main line,electrical fittings,loose wiring,temporary connections in their shops and rectify,if found damaged,as early as possible to avoid any kind of fire incidents. The officials of the fire department will check the extinguishers and other equipment installed in the markets. The shopkeepers keep a variety of articles and packing material on the roofs. They have been directed to remove the material as it could facilitate spreading of the fire.
