After years of neglect, CCP moves to improve Panaji mkt fire safety

Panaji: After years of ignoring fire safety warnings, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) finally moved to overhaul the crumbling infrastructure of the Panaji market. CCP’s move to look for a fire safety consultant followed a directorate of fire and emergency services (DFES) audit that found the building’s entire firefighting system was non-functional.Faced with a “ticking time bomb” scenario at a commercial hub that hosts 400 vendors and thousands of daily shoppers, CCP invited proposals from qualified consulting firms to create a firefighting mechanism. These firms will provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services for phases I and II of the market to rectify years of neglect.CCP hopes to complete work within four months of the work order being issued.Last year’s DFES inspection, revealed a lack of preparedness at the complex. Despite the presence of hardware, officials confirmed that not a single component of the fire safety infrastructure was operational. The audit identified failures in fire hydrants, hose reels, automatic water sprinklers, and smoke extractors. Furthermore, evacuation safety was compromised, as fire exits lacked proper signage.A DFES officer stated that the entire system was effectively useless, and a formal report was submitted to CCP demanding immediate rectification.Records show that inspections in 2014 and 2017 previously flagged that equipment was not being maintained. These warnings went largely unheeded until Feb 2017, when a short circuit triggered a fire at the market, narrowly avoiding a larger catastrophe. While phases I and II stood for over two decades, they never underwent a full technical MEP audit until now.To address these systemic failures, CCP wants to bring on board consultants to perform a full-scale condition assessment to identify defects, performance gaps in the existing firefighting systems, and safety hazards at the municipal market.Tender documents show that the selected firm will be responsible for preparing technical estimates for the necessary repairs and supervising the installation of the firefighting equipment.CCP wants the equipment to be compliant with the National Building Code, the National Fire Protection Association, and local bylaws.