A staggering 2,073 multi-storeyed buildings in the twin cities are unsafe as they are not complying with mandatory fire safety measures, says the fire department. A majority of them are residential towers.
The department, during an inspection conducted recently, found that these multistoreyed buildings had not installed fire safety systems and did not provide open space for residents to escape in the event of a mishap. Many of them did not have space for fire tenders to manoeuvre and no emergency lighting and fire extinguishers to put out flames.
These high-rise buildings, ranging from 15 m to 43.5 m in height, were located at Banjara Hills, Somajiguda, Ameerpet, Secunderabad, Khairatabad, Masab Tank, West Marredpally, Begumpet and other areas in the city and Rangareddy district.
When contacted, fire services director-general Alok Srivastava told The Times of India that a report has been sent to the government requesting it to direct the MCH to slap notices on errant buildings. The follow-up action taken on this report is not known. Srivastava cautioned people that while purchasing flats they must ensure that fire safety measures have been installed.
The list of high-rise buildings which had not obtained no-objection certificates from the fire department was posted on its official website, he said. Analysts said that till now public sensitivity to fire safety was low in Hyderabad because instances of fire breaking out in residential areas was very low. It is for this reason that the number of fire stations in the ever-expanding city is still stagnant at around 14.
Sources in the construction industry said builders do not submit to fire scrutiny because most of them build illegal structures on the top floors of the building. If they invite a fire inspection, they run the risk of the illegal structures being detected.
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