The Hindu : Commissioners asked to act against marriage halls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Commissioners asked to act against marriage halls

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 27. The Commissioner of Municipal Administration (CMA) has written to regional directors asking them to issue instructions to municipal commissioners to take action in the matter of fire safety at marriage halls. He sent the communication in response to a letter from the Consumer Protection Forum here.

The forum said the tragedy in a marriage hall at Srirangam in January this year posed several questions on the safety factor. From newspaper reports it was clear that no safety measures were being provided by owners of marriage halls.

The authorities should not issue licence for any hall unless the owners adhered to the safety norms, the forum vice-president, Sundari Mani, said. The forum said the Tamil Nadu Public Buildings (Licensing) Act made it mandatory for schools and cinema theatres to have structural stability certificates issued by PWD engineers or registered Engineers. The rules under the Act have furnished a proforma to be filled up along with the certificate. Marriage halls, nursing homes and shopping malls should also come under this Act if they were not already brought within the legislation's purview. Similar proformas should be furnished for fire safety also. Of late, large houses were being converted into marriage halls and no adequate safety measures were followed. Electrical safety should be ensured especially in view of the use of a large number of cables by video operators. The CMA requested the regional directors to issue instructions to the municipal commissioners to take follow-up action on the forum letter.

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Tamil Nadu