Surat fire tragedy was a wake-up call. But is govt listening?

How many fires need to ravage the State before the government wakes up to the danger plaguing its citizens? The Union Home Ministry has sent repeated advisories to Gujarat, advising it to adhere strictly to the National Building Code. It also directed the government to set up a fire audit system to check for faults in fire safety inspections.

Despite being issued multiple advisories over the years – the latest one on June 4 following the Surat fire tragedy, the State government has taken no action.

Senior officials from the Home Ministry in Delhi said the pathetic state of fire safety in Gujarat that led to the deaths of 22 people in Surat and the fact that the illegal terrace structure at Takshashila building was approved by estate as well as fire departments of Surat Municipal Corporation, proved there was need to keep watch over local agencies. They said that auditing the buildings inspected by local officials will be the only way to ensure fire safety in the State.

The Union Home Ministry sent an internal advisory to chief secretaries of all states, specifically pointing out Gujarat, Telangana, UP, Maharashtra and Delhi, asking them to strictly adhere to the National Building Code (NBC) and initiate system audits to monitor shortfalls in local fire inspection and stop issuance of false NoCs.

This decision was taken as, according to the advisory, “the recent fires have highlighted the need to take effective fire prevention measures in addition to protection in urban areas in accordance with the existing building by-laws”.

Fire safety is State subject
Officials in Delhi said fire safety is a State subject and it was for all concerned States to provide adequate fire safety cover to citizens.

D K Shami, Fire Advisor to Union Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) published revised National Building Code guidelines in 2016 and its implementation will go a long way in establishing a fire-safe environment in the country.”

He further added, “Fire safety audits are a must to ensure the adequacy of fire safety systems. Since there is deficiency of manpower in Gujarat, fire audits by certified professionals will help in achieving the goal of a Fire-Safe India.”

Asked why the Gujarat State Fire Service or the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) had not adopted the fire audit system, Director and CFO MF Dastoor said, “We have not yet received the advisory.

We will take action once we get it.” And yet, officials from Delhi revealed that this is not the first time that such an advisory has been sent to the state governments. “Such advisories have been sent at least half a dozen times by now but nothing can be done unless the state governments have the will to implement it and keep its citizens safe," said a highly placed officials, refusing to be named.

Interestingly, the latest advisory sent to all Chief Secretaries and heads of Fire Departments across India was issued on June 4. The Centre recommended fire and life safety audits of all buildings above 15 metres in height, also known as high-rises. According to the advisory, these audits should be conducted preferably by a third-party auditor with requisite experience in fire inspections. And each building has to be audited once every two years.

Tragedy prompts action in Surat

In Gujarat, only Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) has taken the advisory seriously after the major fire at Takshashila Arcade claimed the lives of 22 people, mainly students who jumped off the burning building to save their lives.

The SFES, at the beginning of July, submitted a proposal to the municipal standing committee seeking third-party audits for commercial buildings in the city. It wanted to set rules for the audit as well as fix requirements for qualification of auditors.

The SMC is decide on the matter. Surat Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Basant Pareek said, “We have submitted the entire proposal for implementation. Once it is passed, we will make a list of registered auditors under Surat Municipal Corporation who will be empowered to conduct fire safety audits. On their recommendation, we will issue NOCs to high-rises, especially commercial ones.”