2006 PIL revived,seeks better fire safety measures

“Earlier,the National Security Advisor and the Civil Aviation Ministry were respondents in the PIL but we have sought the court’s permission to amend the petition and make the Chief Secretary to the government of Maharashtra a party,” Awate said.

Pointing out the government’s inadequacy in dealing with the Mantralaya inferno,which gutted three floors of the building including the offices of the Chief Minister and his deputy,and the redundancy of the fire-combat equipment,Awate said there should be awareness and training in using the equipment. “If drills are conducted regularly,not only will people be better equipped to act during emergencies,the functionality or otherwise of the equipment procured after spending crores of rupees will be known in advance.”

Awate said that in a number of buildings,such as the Mantralaya and the High Court,several senior citizens are present every day. “People should be made aware of what to do in a situation like this. Senior citizens cannot be expected to climb down a few floors quickly when elevators cannot be used,” he said.

He also said that such a mishap may occur anywhere,including Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and General Post Office.

Awate said the staff working in these buildings as well as common citizens need to be made aware of the emergency exits in a building,using fire alarms and hydrants to prevent the situation from worsening and minimising casualties.