Tackling fire incidents: ‘Tough law needed to stop commercial use of residential buildings’

Kolkata: With frequent incidents of fire, Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim has advocated for stricter rules in the Land Use & Development Control Plan (LUDCP) to tackle illegal conversion of residential properties for commercial use.

During the recent ‘Talk to Mayor’ programme, the Mayor told the media that the KMC will coordinate with Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) in adding or amending existing rules to stop such random conversions.

He said it is often observed that plans for residential buildings are being submitted but later on such buildings are being used for commercial purposes.

Rooftop cafes are also an example of this. In case of fire, there are hardly any escape routes or provisions for firefighting teams to conduct rescue operations, he highlighted.

He added that such a trend is apparent in the wake of a boom in the city. In case of small residential buildings, we can arrange water from streets for fire fighting but in case of high rise buildings the same will not be possible. A tough law is required to tackle this.

This is also leading to loss in revenues, he said. The mayor directed the building department to keep an eye out.

There are several It was learnt that under the ‘Development Control Zone- ‘C’ as per existing LUDCP, certain types of buildings are prohibited such as hazardous building, new mercantile (wholesale) building and extension of existing mercantile building, etc.