The Hindu : Marriage halls flouting fire safety norms

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 16, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Marriage halls flouting fire safety norms

By G. Anand

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 15. The fire in a marriage hall that claimed 60 lives in Tiruchi district in Tamil Nadu in January, has focussed attention on the non-implementation of fire-safety norms in community halls and high-rise buildings in the State.

The incident has also forced authorities to take a hard look at the operational efficiency of the Fire and Rescue Department, which is facing shortage of funds, equipment and manpower.

Sources in the Fire Department said that temporary constructions using combustible materials, failure to provide basic fire-fighting equipment and lack of fire-escape routes have raised serious doubts about the `fire safety' of hundreds of community halls, cinema theatres and buildings in the State.

Officials pointed out that a fire that had engulfed a thatched shed on the first floor of a marriage hall, had caused the mishap in Tiruchi. Similar temporary, thatched constructions could be seen at scores of marriage halls in the State. Though the Fire Department had often send reports of such violations to district authorities, follow-up action has been `far and few'. The department now feels there is a pressing need to undertake a professional `risk mapping' of buildings, halls and industrial units in urban areas of the State.

The number of fire accidents in the State has more than doubled from 3,800 in 1993 to 9,325 in 2003. As many as 300 persons died in fire accidents in the State in 2003 alone.

However, the department lacks in many key areas crucial for fire-fighting operations. For one, there is a dearth of helmets for the 1,500 firemen recruited in 1996. Lack of sufficient funds for meeting recurrent expenditure has affected the maintenance of fire engines, many of which are more than 18 years old, said the sources.

Recently in Palakkad district, pump owners stopped giving diesel to fire stations owing to pending fuel bills. In several districts, power supply and telephone connections to fire stations were cut because of failure to settle bills. The purchase of a `sky lift ladder' for fire-fighting in high-rise buildings, more gas masks and body suits were hanging fire.

The lack of adequate number of fire hydrants in working order in congested urban areas is another major impediment to fire-fighting operations. In Thiruvananthapuram, out of the 362 fire hydrants installed during the Travancore period, only less than 50 are in working order. There is inadequate water pressure in the fire hydrants at key Government buildings such as the Secretariat and the Accountant General's office, point out sources.

The department is asking for the setting up of a `Fire Prevention Wing' with adequate powers to enforce fire safety regulations specified in the National Building Code (NBC). At present, the Electrical Inspectorate conducts fire safety inspections at cinema and marriage halls.

The informed sources said fire safety features mentioned in the building plan were often "not incorporated or diluted" during actual construction. Several high-rise buildings in urban areas lacked the sufficient `set back' for fire engines to deploy. The department is also planning to organise a Civil Defence and Home Guards division soon, the sources said.

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