Fire Safety: 'Legal Action Must For Non-Compilers,' Says BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani

A responsibility should be fixed, and legal action should be taken against property owners and housing societies that fail to comply with the fire safety norms, after several reminders, said the municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani in a review meeting at Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) headquarters in Byculla on Monday. He also assured to discuss setting up fire stations at various locations along the Mumbai Coastal Road with the agencies concerned.

Gagrani said, “MFB inspects buildings to check if their fire-fighting systems are functional. The fire brigade should develop a proper mechanism. Several advanced technologies have been developed and new experiments are carried out worldwide. The MFB should gather the information through researchers that can update the brigade.”

He instructed, “While incorporating any new vehicle or advanced technology, its usefulness should be checked in terms of the safety of people during emergencies. Additionally, the volunteers or citizens participating in rescue operations should be felicitated.”

Gagrani along with additional municipal commissioner (eastern suburbs) Amit Saini, deputy municipal commissioner (finance) Prashant Gaikwad, Chief fire officer Ravindra Ambulgekar and other officials inspected the fire-fighting equipment and fire tenders at the headquarters. He also went up to a height of about 90-metre with the help of the highest snorkel during the inspection. The commissioner announced that a new fire station at Thakur village in Kandivali (East) would be inaugurated soon.

During several major fires reported in the last few years in the city, it was noticed that the fire-fighting system was not functioning properly in many commercial units and housing societies. The notices are served to the buildings under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act 2006. As per section 6 of the act, it is the owners or occupiers’ liability to provide for fire prevention and fire safety measures.

“The MFB has a 90-metre ladder that can reach up to 30 floors, depending on the location. While the city has buildings taller than 300 meters now, several lives and property loss can be avoided if the internal fire fighting systems of the building work, till the MFB team arrives,” said a fire official.