In the absence of effective enforcement of fire safety norms, many of Bangalore’s high-rise buildings are veritable tinder boxes, reports B S Narayanaswamy
The recent Carlton Tower fire tragedy in Bangalore, in which nine people were killed and more than 50 injured, has exposed the poor fire safety standards in the city’s highrises. But the inferno has failed to shake the authorities out of their slumber. In fact, Bangalore has no system in place to enforce fire safety norms in buildings.
The current system is such that even if you construct a high-rise building and occupy it without securing clearance from the fire service department, nobody will question you. According to the director of Fire and Emergency Services, B. G. Chengappa, “The Carlton Tower was given a fire safety clearance certificate in 1999. However, the building was subsequently altered in many ways, including closure of the staircase path, construction of a vehicle garage in front of the building and reduction of the open space by small constructions. There is no system here to check these alterations. The case of many high-rise buildings in Bangalore is the same. The department has no suo moto power to check alterations made in highrise buildings.” The National Building Code (NBC) has laid down clear safety norms for highrise buildings. A road that leads to a highrise should be more than 12 meters wide; this minimum width is for free movement of fire service vehicles. Each highrise building should have a minimum of two staircases and a qualified fire officer has to be appointed, among other things. Even the size of open spaces in and around the buildings is determined in accordance with the building's height and other specifations.
Chengappa points out that a building has to get an NOC (no objection certificate) before construction can begin. “After completion, the fire department conducts a spot inspection of the building before granting it clearance. These certificates are issued through the municipal corporation, the Brihat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP). We merely inspect a building in response to a request from the municipal authorities,” Chengappa adds.
Chengappa warns that “there are thousands of buildings in Bangalore that are dangerous in terms of fire safety, including new buildings in HAL area, Electronic City and in many areas in the outskirts of the city”.
The recent Carlton Tower fire tragedy in Bangalore, in which nine people were killed and more than 50 injured, has exposed the poor fire safety standards in the city’s highrises. But the inferno has failed to shake the authorities out of their slumber. In fact, Bangalore has no system in place to enforce fire safety norms in buildings.
The current system is such that even if you construct a high-rise building and occupy it without securing clearance from the fire service department, nobody will question you. According to the director of Fire and Emergency Services, B. G. Chengappa, “The Carlton Tower was given a fire safety clearance certificate in 1999. However, the building was subsequently altered in many ways, including closure of the staircase path, construction of a vehicle garage in front of the building and reduction of the open space by small constructions. There is no system here to check these alterations. The case of many high-rise buildings in Bangalore is the same. The department has no suo moto power to check alterations made in highrise buildings.” The National Building Code (NBC) has laid down clear safety norms for highrise buildings. A road that leads to a highrise should be more than 12 meters wide; this minimum width is for free movement of fire service vehicles. Each highrise building should have a minimum of two staircases and a qualified fire officer has to be appointed, among other things. Even the size of open spaces in and around the buildings is determined in accordance with the building's height and other specifations.
Chengappa points out that a building has to get an NOC (no objection certificate) before construction can begin. “After completion, the fire department conducts a spot inspection of the building before granting it clearance. These certificates are issued through the municipal corporation, the Brihat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP). We merely inspect a building in response to a request from the municipal authorities,” Chengappa adds.
Chengappa warns that “there are thousands of buildings in Bangalore that are dangerous in terms of fire safety, including new buildings in HAL area, Electronic City and in many areas in the outskirts of the city”.
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