Ticking time bomb

Fire safety norms are flouted with impunity

Tragedy struck the Lower Parel area of Mumbai on the night of December 29 when a fire broke out at two rooftop restaurants in the Trade House Building in Kamala Mills. Fourteen patrons were killed, mainly by asphyxiation, because the emergency exits did not have sufficient capacity for everyone to escape once the alarm was sounded. This horrific event is a reminder that urban fire codes cannot be considered optional even at a time of rapid growth in India’s crowded cities. While those who flouted regulations in this case must, of course, face the punishments prescribed by law, it should be clear that this is a far bigger problem than two rule-breaking restaurants.

Across India’s urban landscape, fire codes are respected more in the breach than in the observance. In fact, it was reported shortly before the fire that the Mumbai Fire Brigade had inspected over 4,600 high-rises in India’s financial capital over the past two years and found that not even one of them complied with the specified codes. Many buildings were found to lack designated emergency exits or had exits of insufficient capacity or that were poorly marked. Others had outdated or out-of-order firefighting equipment. And, finally, even if everything else was in order, the staff was rarely trained in the use of the firefighting equipment.

Beyond the failure of individual buildings or establishments to comply with fire-prevention norms, urban redevelopment — the responsibility of municipalities and state authorities — has also failed to give sufficient thought to fire codes. Kamala Mills has been transformed from an old area with factories and working-class housing into an upscale destination with at least 30 restaurants and bars. Its narrow lanes are full of cars, dropping and picking up people, which means that a fire engine will struggle to navigate the neighbourhood in case of an emergency. An earlier plan to set aside a third of the space during redevelopment as free space was overridden when mill owners appealed to the Supreme Court. And while Maharashtra has accounted for more than its share of fatalities in fires in recent years, cities in other states are equally dangerous.

Delhi’s urban villages such as Hauz Khas and Shahpur Jat are unplanned and overbuilt — the Delhi High Court called the former a “ticking time bomb” last September. Even outside the urban villages, current rules do not require eateries with a capacity of less than 50 to obtain a no-objection certificate from the fire department. And less than a tenth of establishments with a capacity of over 50 have such certificates — claiming that they have only 50 people a floor, so no certificate is required. Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of state for Housing and Urban Affairs, is right to call for a “zero tolerance” approach to fire safety in city planning and regulation. However, it is also true that fire safety divisions are notoriously corrupt and administrative and regulatory reform must accompany a crackdown. Independent and regular audits must be established and traders’ associations must take the lead in organising regular fire drills and training of staff. Otherwise, December 29 will be yet another tragedy that India is forced to repeat soon.