BHOPAL: Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to issue notice to management of Panchanan building for not having fire safety arrangements. The sixth floor of the building was gutted in fire on early Tuesday morning.
This will be yet another notice amongst 1,000 notices served earlier to owners of high-rise buildings. But no action was taken against high-rise buildings that include hotels, shopping malls, hospitals, multi-storeyed buildings and other commercial set-ups. The BMC has no Fire Safety Act due to which it can’t take action against errant building owners. Nor can it impose penalty. The civic body can only serve notices after major fire incidents. What is cause of concern that such massive fires at the time of festival not only cause monetary loss but also put people’s life at risk as markets become crowded.
The department of urban administration had proposed Fire Safety Act a year ago but proposal could not materialise. When contacted, BMC fire officer Rameshwar Neel said he has forwarded the file for sending notice to Panchanan building owner. “The building lacked fire safety arrangements,” he said.
