Astonishingly, BBMP, on its part, has no mechanism to check the efficacy of fire safety measures in the city’s high-rises. When TSI visited BBMP, the officials were busy with the municipal elections scheduled for the month-end.
BBMP additional director (town planning) Turukanagowdru says: “More than 800 highrise buildings in the Bangalore City limits have obtained 100 per cent fire safety clearance." But he is not sure if all highrise buildings in the city have obtained fire safety clearance. It is just as shocking that BBMP has no system in place to keep track of alterations made in the buildings.
Builders have money power and political links and, therefore, get away with flouting the rules. Almost a decade back, after the fire in Capitol Hotel on Raj Bhavan Road, the directorate of Fire and Emergency Services had listed the most dangerous high-rise buildings of Bangalore. The irony is that numerous highrise buildings on M.G. Road and Brigade Road, including a government-owned public utility building, are up and running without being in possession of fire safety clearances. Almost all these buildings were operational at the time of the Capitol Hotel fire. Now all of them have official NOCs from the fire department. But no one knows whether these buildings are 100 per cent safe or not. Most of these buildings belong to the powerful politicians or real estate bigwigs.
“I have reasons to suspect that many buildings are potential death traps. But our department doesn’t have any power. They get the clearance from BBMP or somewhere else bypassing our department,” laments Chengappa. After every major fire tragedy, officials of the fire services have submitted a report about the violations of safety norms, but there has never been any follow-up action from the government. No steps are ever taken to bring the building owners to book.
Even as the scenario has gone from bad to worse, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has gone and increased the building height limit for safety regulations from 15 meters to 24 meters without consulting the fire and emergency services department.
The NBC bye-law regards buildings above 15 meters as high-rises. This is done on the basis of the height of manually operated extension ladders on fire tenders, which is 35 feet. But according to BDA's new plan, even eight-storey buildings need not have fire safety measures! The fire department has opposed the BDA plan and sent a clarification letter to the BDA Commissioner, saying the plan is not appropriate. But it hasn't received any reply from BDA yet.
Recently, after the Carlton tragedy, the city police commissioner observed that there are a number of buildings that have violated fire safety norms in the absence of effective checking system. He has issued a circular to all building owners/lease holders/occupants of buildings that are four storey or higher to voluntarily check their fire safety measures themselves and submit a report to the police inspector concerned. This step also invited criticisms from the experts. "The concern of the police commissioner is to be appreciated. But police personnel are not fire safety experts. The power of such inspections should be given to the fire services personnel," says chief fire officer N. V. Erappa.
On its part, the fire department is faced with an acute lack of equipment and personnel. Currently the total staff strength is 624 where as about 100 posts are lying vacant. According to the standing fire advisory committee recommendations, the strength should be 800 for Bangalore's population of 80 lakh. According to the fire services statistics during the last 3 years, more than 50 people have lost their lives and property worth more than Rs 1000 crore has been gutted in Bangalore city alone. But nothing seems to be able to stir the authorities into action.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
BBMP additional director (town planning) Turukanagowdru says: “More than 800 highrise buildings in the Bangalore City limits have obtained 100 per cent fire safety clearance." But he is not sure if all highrise buildings in the city have obtained fire safety clearance. It is just as shocking that BBMP has no system in place to keep track of alterations made in the buildings.
Builders have money power and political links and, therefore, get away with flouting the rules. Almost a decade back, after the fire in Capitol Hotel on Raj Bhavan Road, the directorate of Fire and Emergency Services had listed the most dangerous high-rise buildings of Bangalore. The irony is that numerous highrise buildings on M.G. Road and Brigade Road, including a government-owned public utility building, are up and running without being in possession of fire safety clearances. Almost all these buildings were operational at the time of the Capitol Hotel fire. Now all of them have official NOCs from the fire department. But no one knows whether these buildings are 100 per cent safe or not. Most of these buildings belong to the powerful politicians or real estate bigwigs.
“I have reasons to suspect that many buildings are potential death traps. But our department doesn’t have any power. They get the clearance from BBMP or somewhere else bypassing our department,” laments Chengappa. After every major fire tragedy, officials of the fire services have submitted a report about the violations of safety norms, but there has never been any follow-up action from the government. No steps are ever taken to bring the building owners to book.
Even as the scenario has gone from bad to worse, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has gone and increased the building height limit for safety regulations from 15 meters to 24 meters without consulting the fire and emergency services department.
The NBC bye-law regards buildings above 15 meters as high-rises. This is done on the basis of the height of manually operated extension ladders on fire tenders, which is 35 feet. But according to BDA's new plan, even eight-storey buildings need not have fire safety measures! The fire department has opposed the BDA plan and sent a clarification letter to the BDA Commissioner, saying the plan is not appropriate. But it hasn't received any reply from BDA yet.
Recently, after the Carlton tragedy, the city police commissioner observed that there are a number of buildings that have violated fire safety norms in the absence of effective checking system. He has issued a circular to all building owners/lease holders/occupants of buildings that are four storey or higher to voluntarily check their fire safety measures themselves and submit a report to the police inspector concerned. This step also invited criticisms from the experts. "The concern of the police commissioner is to be appreciated. But police personnel are not fire safety experts. The power of such inspections should be given to the fire services personnel," says chief fire officer N. V. Erappa.
On its part, the fire department is faced with an acute lack of equipment and personnel. Currently the total staff strength is 624 where as about 100 posts are lying vacant. According to the standing fire advisory committee recommendations, the strength should be 800 for Bangalore's population of 80 lakh. According to the fire services statistics during the last 3 years, more than 50 people have lost their lives and property worth more than Rs 1000 crore has been gutted in Bangalore city alone. But nothing seems to be able to stir the authorities into action.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
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