Fire Hazard: 4,000 govt schools do not posses NOCs
9 July 2014 6:57 AM IST
The director of Delhi Fire Services, AK Sharma, has claimed that over 4,000 government schools in the national capital do not possess a No Objection Certificate from the authority. ‘These schools flout rules and put their students at risk. None of these schools are equipped to deal with sudden fire situations owing to a lack of safety gadgets,’ said Sharma. Such deficiencies lead to the non issuance of NOCs.
‘Additionally, those schools which have certificates do not approach us for renewal. Such renewals are mandatory and should be done every five years, according to the new legislation that came into existence in 2011,’ he added. ‘In case of a fire incident, it is the available safety equipment, which will come in handy until the fire tenders arrive and begin their work. Hence, this especially becomes imperative for those schools located in congested areas like Chandni Chowk and Chowri Bazar,’ he added.
There are 56 fire stations in Delhi, which house 150 fire engines and 1,300 fire fighters. Recently, the capital witnessed a major fire in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area where over 1,000 hutments were reduced to ashes. In another incident, an old age home in the same area was completely gutted due to a fire caused by a short circuit. The incident killed two senior citizens and left many injured.
To tackle such cases, the DFS currently has five Innova cars, which are well-equipped with fire fighting measures and a few motorbikes. Sharma has stated that the department has all the latest equipment, which can easily handle fire incidents of any kind. ‘We have aerial platform ladders, hydraulic cutting tools, chemical tanks, light vans, foam, rescue tenders and many more such equipment’, asserted Sharma.
According to Sharma each fire audit takes approximately three months to be conducted. He explained that the fire official first inspects the building, identifies the lacunae, communicates the same to the building owner and then gives them time to rectify it before a Compliance Certificate is issued. ‘Our inspection team regularly carries out inspections in schools. This has led to a lot of them at least applying for the certificate,’ he said.
However, Sharma admitted that the DFS faces an ‘acute shortage’ of fire-fighting personnel, which he said, hindered smooth operations. ‘Currently, in terms of fire personnel, the department is faces a shortage of 35 per cent. Of the total capacity of 3,000, over 1,000 positions are lying vacant,’ he said.
‘Additionally, those schools which have certificates do not approach us for renewal. Such renewals are mandatory and should be done every five years, according to the new legislation that came into existence in 2011,’ he added. ‘In case of a fire incident, it is the available safety equipment, which will come in handy until the fire tenders arrive and begin their work. Hence, this especially becomes imperative for those schools located in congested areas like Chandni Chowk and Chowri Bazar,’ he added.
There are 56 fire stations in Delhi, which house 150 fire engines and 1,300 fire fighters. Recently, the capital witnessed a major fire in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area where over 1,000 hutments were reduced to ashes. In another incident, an old age home in the same area was completely gutted due to a fire caused by a short circuit. The incident killed two senior citizens and left many injured.
To tackle such cases, the DFS currently has five Innova cars, which are well-equipped with fire fighting measures and a few motorbikes. Sharma has stated that the department has all the latest equipment, which can easily handle fire incidents of any kind. ‘We have aerial platform ladders, hydraulic cutting tools, chemical tanks, light vans, foam, rescue tenders and many more such equipment’, asserted Sharma.
According to Sharma each fire audit takes approximately three months to be conducted. He explained that the fire official first inspects the building, identifies the lacunae, communicates the same to the building owner and then gives them time to rectify it before a Compliance Certificate is issued. ‘Our inspection team regularly carries out inspections in schools. This has led to a lot of them at least applying for the certificate,’ he said.
However, Sharma admitted that the DFS faces an ‘acute shortage’ of fire-fighting personnel, which he said, hindered smooth operations. ‘Currently, in terms of fire personnel, the department is faces a shortage of 35 per cent. Of the total capacity of 3,000, over 1,000 positions are lying vacant,’ he said.
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