Despite the Lotus Business Park in Andheri not following fire safety norms, the BMC issued them a no-objection certificate and an OC; its fire hydrants were not even connected to water supply
Had the Lotus Business Park followed fire safety norms and had the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ensured it had done so, perhaps, the lone fireman who died, Nitin Ivalekar, would have been alive today.
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While the fire brigade managed to bring the flames under control by evening, it was a Herculean task for them, what with the non-functional fire hydrants and a lack of refuge area.
When the fire brigade reached the spot to douse the fire, they were shocked to find that the building lacked a refuge area — the area where people who are evacuated from the building wait while the fire is brought under control.
Besides this, the hydrants in the building were not connected to water supply. Additional water tankers had to be ordered to make use of the hydrants. Additionally, fighters found the passages blocked by material stored in the various offices.
Questions arise over how the no-objection certificate (NOC) was issued in the first place, even though these norms had been flouted. A fire official, on request of anonymity, said, “There are issues with various high-rises in the city. There was no fire audit conducted for the building. Had we known this, we could’ve sent a notice for conducting one.”
Every building needs to conduct a fire audit of its structure twice a year and submit the report to the fire department of the BMC, to ensure the equipment is in working condition. Hardly do citizens comply with this rule. Neither does the fire department send them the necessary notices when they falter on this requirement.
There are also about 83 designated fire officers who carry out separate inspections of buildings, after which the building gets a notice to comply with regulations within 120 days. This, too, is rarely done.
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Opposition leader in the BMC, Devendra Amberkar, has asked the BMC to take note of the issue and also ordered a probe into whether there were serious construction violations by the building and how it received NOCs and OCs.
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