Fire safety: 15-day deadline for schools

The State government has asked all government, aided and unaided schools to install ISI-certified fire extinguishers without fail within a fortnight.

The instruction comes three days after a fire broke out in the Silicon City Public School in Konanakunte here. The Department of Public Instructions, in a statement, said that certain schools in the State had not installed fire extinguishers, despite a Supreme Court order on April 13, 2009.

“All the schools registered in Karnataka (irrespective of affiliation to any board and irrespective of the mode of finance) must comply with the SC order within 15 days from January 10,” the Commissioner for Public Instruction, Tushar Girinath, said.

The fire extinguishers should be installed in adequate capacity in each block of the school. The Department will cancel the registration of, or close, the school if the instruction is not followed.