Bhopal: State Dragging Feet On Fire Safety Act

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Preparations of Madhya Pradesh Fire Safety Act still remain in the pipeline and they are moving at a snail’s pace. It seems that the new fire safety act would see the light of the day after the formation of new government in Madhya Pradesh.

A senior officer of urban administration department told Free Press that the department is least interested in finalisation of the draft of Fire Safety Act which was necessitated after state witnessed two major incidents of fire in Jabalpur and Bhopal in August, 2022.

Sources said that as state elections are knocking on the door, priorities of the government have changed, due to which, fire safety act preparations have gone into the backburner.

The other reason is that once fire safety act comes into being, a separate fire directorate with necessary appointments of the officers will be needed. This will incur a huge expenditure and the government is shying away from any such expenditure.

It is also learnt that at least twice the urban administration department sent the draft of fire safety act to the directorate of urban administration and development for some amendments. Even it asked the officials of the directorate to cut short the size of the draft.

‘We have prepared the draft according to the model draft of Government of India and we cannot cut it short in a big manner,’ an officer of the directorate of urban administration and development told Free Press.

Sources said once the entire preparation of fire safety act seemed to be near completion but owing to one reason or the other, things are not getting materialised. As of now, Madhya Pradesh is not having a separate fire safety act. The fire safety norms are in the garb of building permission. Once the state fire safety act comes into existence, fire permissions will be according to it and even punishments will be given under new norms.

Published on: Thursday, August 31, 2023, 12:10 AM IST