CHENNAI: Twenty years after it was enacted, the Tamil Nadu Fire Service Act is under a critical review by a committee as part of the efforts to draft a comprehensive legislation to empower the department to cope with the existing and new challenges.

The 16-member committee, with the Director of Fire and Rescue Services as its chairman, has held a couple of meetings so far. Departments, from which representatives have been made members, have sent their responses in writing and they are under consideration, a senior official of the directorate told The Hindu .

The State Government appointed the committee comprising among others the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation, Joint Commissioner of Police, Central, Chief Engineer (buildings) of the Public Works Department, Chief Electrical Inspector to the Government, Director of Town and Country Planning, Member-Secretary, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and the Director of School Education. As per the government order of August last, the committee should complete its task within a year.

The need for a total review of the existing legislation was felt after the fire-tragedy in a marriage hall in Srirangam on January 23, 2004.

The authorities felt that besides enforcement of adequate fire safety measures, suitable amendments to the Fire Service Act were needed taking into view the fact that society, especially urban centres, had undergone complete change and now faced various hazards. The Act in its present form mainly defined fire service and its structure. Another aspect was that many of the issues were related to licensing authorities and other authorities entrusted with implementation of laws and rules. As related provisions were scattered in different Acts, it was decided that a multi-disciplinary approach was needed to have a detailed look at the Fire Service Act.

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