Times of India: Gurgaon: Saturday,
August 27, 2016.
Two fires in
Gurgaon in the past week one at a residential township in Sector 83, another at
Sadar Bazaar have put the Millennium City's fire safety preparedness under the
spotlight. And the sight is not very reassuring. An RTI query filed by RTI and
human rights activist Harindar Dhingra revealed most government offices and
schools, fuel stations, bus stands, mobile towers and the railway station
haven't bothered to get no objection certificates (NOCs) from the fire
department. The lives of thousands of people who visit these places every day
are at risk in case of an emergency.
Some weeks
ago, a few hours of rain led to day-long waterlogging and a serpentine jam that
exposed the city's poor civic infrastructure for all to see. The two fires last
week have now revealed the city is hopelessly under-prepared to face a major
fire.
"Most
government offices, fuel stations, mobile towers and other installations have
no fire NOCs," said Harindar Dhingra, adding safety appears to be the last
priority for government departments. Offices which do not have fire NOCs
include the Huda office, mini-secretariat, police commissioner's office, new
courts complex, RPF complex, divisional commissioner's office, district prisons
and PWD guest house.
Fire
department officials said NOCs are given only after owners file applications
with them. "NOC is given only when someone applies for it. In many cases,
fire NOCs were never sought," said a fire department official, adding they
do not proactively seek fire NOC compliance.
The RTI query
also revealed that none of the around 600 mobile towers in the district have
NOCs. In fact, records show none of the telecom companies in Gurgaon have ever
applied for NOCs.
As per
Haryana Fire Services Act 2009, it is mandatory for any structure above 15m to
have a fire NOC. Non-compliance is an offence punishable under the Act. The
responsibility of getting "the NOC is on the owner/occupier/beneficiary,
as the case may be", reads the Act.
"Most
mobile towers are located in residential areas. They are already spreading
radiation, now we know they are a fire hazard too," said Dhingra.
Fire
department sources told TOI mobile towers are a potential fire hazard, and that
there have been a few instances of fires and sparking in mobile towers in
various parts of the city.
Over half of
the city's 10 CNG stations don't possess NOCs. Though these fuel stations had
secured fire safety approval ahead of their launches, they were not renewed
afterwards, said a source. Around 1.25 lakh litres of CNG is consumed in the
city every day. "It's mandatory to secure the fire department's nod to set
up a fuel station. Most CNG stations, though, have not renewed them," said
Birbal Sharma, fire station officer.
Haryana City
Gas (HCG) Limited, which owns these stations, though said, upkeep of these
stations is up to the mark, and that they follow all the safety norms.
Gurgaon also
has 592 government schools, including 49 higher secondary, 69 senior secondary,
99 middle and 375 primary schools. Together, around 1.16 lakh students are
enrolled in these, but none of them have fire NOCs. "No government school
was issued fire NOC, because none applied for it," said a fire department
official.
Downplaying
the absence of fire NOCs, a district education official said, "If
required, fire department officials can inspect schools and suggest fire safety
equipment that can be installed."
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