HC seeks BMC affidavit on SOP it follows in case of fire

MUMBAI: Bombay high court on Friday directed BMC to file an affidavit listing measures to meet fire exigencies and enlist standard operating procedure (SOP) it follows. BMC must also inform how many fire stations are there, staff deployed and response time by authorities after a fire breaks out, the HC division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor said on Friday while hearing a PIL on fire safety.
HC asked the state government about the time its takes for the fire brigade to respond to fire calls. Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan who submitted the state’s timeline for implementation of amended rules to tackle man-made disasters in vulnerable buildings said the exact time she was unaware of. The timeline made by principal secretary, (Urban Development Department) showed that the chief minister’s approval to recommendation is expected by January 15, 2024.
The PIL by lawyer Abha Singh, argued advocate Aditya Pratap, sought directions to the state to issue final notification on the ‘Special Regulations for Building Vulnerable to Man-made Disasters’.
Pratap claimed “severe deficiencies in the realm of fire safety” in Mumbai and argued that the number of fire stations was grossly disproportionate to population and fire services were found wanting in several wards with time to reach after a fire call “excessive”. At times, the approach road is narrow.
On Wednesday, HC pulled up the state government and questioned its laxness in implementing the new fire safety regulations, observing the two recent deaths in a fire at Girgaum, and observing how Mumbai had frequent fires “every other day and people are losing lives”.
HC had appointed an expert panel which, it noted, had submitted its report on implementation of the regulations in February this year, and wondered why the government is yet to make any progress on it. HC said that though the panel report was submitted in February, it had to prod the state now into action. Had it acted so far, new rules may have been incorporated going by submitted timeline, the bench told the government pleader.
The state’s timeline also said notice to incorporate security rules is expected by January 22, 2024 and procedures to be adopted by the Town Planning officer and UDD are expected to issue final notification by May 20.
The civic chief, chief fire officer and director of State Fire Services/Fire Safety be added as parties to the PIL, HC said. BMC and the chief fire officer have to submit its replies by January 30, 2024.