Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), responsible for enforcing fire safety standards across the city, has failed to maintain basic safety measures within its own headquarters.
A recent inspection revealed all fire extinguishers in the council meeting hall, including one large and three small cylinders, expired 15 days ago. This includes the extinguishers placed right behind the Mayor’s chair.
BMC’s three-storey headquarters handles a daily footfall of 12,000–15,000 citizens, along with nearly 5,000 officers and employees. In the event of a fire, over 30,000 people inside the building could be directly affected, raising serious concerns about administrative negligence. Ironically, the institution that issues safety directives across the city is unable to uphold them in its own premises.
According to municipal records, the city has witnessed 88 fire incidents in the last 50 days. Across BMC’s 12 major offices, more than 130 fire cylinders are installed, but 85% are currently unusable. The situation is reportedly worst at Mata Mandir and ISBT offices, located in densely populated areas with multiple government and private establishments. Any fire outbreak in these zones could have severe spillover effects.
Expired extinguishers outside senior offices
Inside headquarters, extinguishers mounted outside the cabins of Mayor, Commissioner, Additional Commissioner and other senior officials have all expired. Many have not been refilled for a prolonged period. Alarmingly, the office of Mukesh Sharma, Additional Commissioner heading the Fire Branch, is located in the same building.
Fire dept staff under scrutiny
The corporation’s Fire Branch consists of nearly 300 staff members responsible for conducting fire safety audits across the city. Yet, the most critical administrative building, housing three IAS officers, 13 State Administrative Service officials, over 25 engineers and elected representatives, remains unsafe under their supervision.
Commissioner’s promise
BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain said, “I will speak to officials. The cylinders will be refilled immediately.”
