Mumbai: Mumbai Fire Department chief Prabhat Rahangdale Saturday said that city’s glass-facade buildings will be scanned and those without proper permission and not following fire norms will be facing strict action.
The development comes after the recent incident of fire in such a building in Andheri which took around 18 hours and 100 firemen to be doused. After the fire broke out in the building on Thursday, its glass facade worked as fuel. As there was no ventilation or outlet, smoke accumulated inside the structure and it made the work for firefighters tough.
With the number of glass-facade buildings increasing in the city, the worries for the fire department have gone up. According to the National Building Regulations, glass used in such buildings should be fire-proof. There should be at least one-and-half-a-foot gap between the glass facade and the walls of the buildings. Also, proper ventilation is a must, and the frames used for setting up glass should not be made of aluminium. In the cse of the Andheri building the frames were of aluminium.
It is mandatory to obtain the required permission from the fire department for such buildings. However, many builders are violating the norms set by the fire department. Now, notices have been sent to such buildings and strict action will be taken against them.
“We have already inspected some buildings and notices have been issued to them for violating norms. If they do not make changes according to the rules, we will disconnect power and water supply and criminal action too will be taken, if required,” said Rahangdale.