Officials admit most buildings are fire-traps

CHANDIGARH, Nov 12: On September 27, Ram Iqbal and Jang Bahadur, both residents of Colony number 5, were charred to death when a fire engulf...

CHANDIGARH, Nov 12: On September 27, Ram Iqbal and Jang Bahadur, both residents of Colony number 5, were charred to death when a fire engulfed the basement of a showroom in Sector 26. The Fire Brigade took over seven hours to douse the flames, with 15 fire tenders including those from Panchkula, S.A.S. Nagar, the 3BRD Air Force Station and Ordnance Cable Factory running over 100 errands. According to fire officials, the delay and deaths were caused due to the single entry-exit staircase getting clogged. In fact, Ram Iqbal8217;s body was retrieved two days later.

With fire safety norms overlooked in scores of buildings in the City, any one of us caught in a fire in any of these buildings could meet with a similar fate, Fire Brigade officials reveal. From public buildings that include several government offices, hospitals to single-entry basements split into scores of wooden cabins or converted into restaurants, discos or pubs to cinema halls the list of premises flouting fire safety rules is endless.

The Municipal Corporation, of which the Fire Brigade is a part, has sent 108 notices to various establishments in the City listing out violations, reveals MC secretary Amarpal Singh. These include 27 government buildings.

Prominent among these are the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat, the Deputy Commissioner8217;s Office, the 30 Bays Building, the District Courts, Telecom Bhawan and even the Municipal Corporation building. Even hospitals and educational institutions are part of the list.

Even though officials admit that pre-requisites laid down in the Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Act, that came into effect in 1991 in Chandigarh, are not being followed, the Fire Department has done nothing beyond issuing notices. quot;Our purpose is not to harass people. They are complying by and by. But if someone is not, the Chief Fire Officer CFO enjoys the power to seal the premises,quot; says Amarpal Singh.

The CFO, Darshan Singh, however, is evasive. quot;Why do the architecture and engineering departments pass plans of buildings which are fire unsafe?quot; he says. Amarpal Singh, however, reveals that the CFO is part of the committee which gives clearance to all commercial buildings. quot;It is for the committee to issue no-objection certificates,quot; he points out.

quot;Even the rehri markets and the densely-populated colonies face a threat. Nobody talks about them,quot; says Darshan Singh. quot;There has been a major fire in Sector 19. There have been two in Sector 22. With all passages encroached upon and combustible material like clothes and plasticware stretching out into the passage, if a fire occurs, it is bound to spread. You can8217;t blame the Fire Brigade for that. Removing encroachments is not our job,quot; he says.The Fire Brigade, too, sources say, is ill-equipped. quot;With a fleet of barely 13 fire tenders to tackle the whole City, 22 villages and an equal number of congested colonies, the threat increases manifold,quot; a fire service official admits. quot;Of a total staff of about 250, 75 per cent of the personnel were recruited in 1965. Besides, there is no system to check the physical fitness of firemen. Yet, our seniors want complete efficiency,quot; he says.

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Amarpal Singh, however, points out that the MC has bought five more fire tenders and quot;we are inviting global tenders for a hydraulic ladderquot;. But the fire tenders so far are only half-bodied trucks parked for the past two months in the Sector 17 Fire Brigade office and the hydraulic ladder is bound to take much longer.