<p>Bengaluru: Back-to-back fires at commercial hubs such as Chickpet and Nagarthpet have raised safety concerns in commercial zones, where unplanned economic growth remains a problem.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, 21 shops were gutted after a fire originating at a hardware shop spread rapidly. In August 2025, fire at a five-storey building in Nagarthpet had claimed five lives.</p>.<p>Sources in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said narrow roads near the shop where the accident occurred on Wednesday prevented fire tenders from gaining direct access.</p>.<p>"Fire personnel informed that the blaze was extinguished by laying hose lines from a distance of approximately 300 metres," GBA sources said.</p>.<p>Experts said these hubs have been developed to meet people's requirements. Coercive steps cannot be forced on an unplanned economy. Therefore, local area planning is important.</p>.Chickpet blaze: GBA orders probe, mandatory fire safety measures.<p>Multiple urban planners and experts told DH that the government should redevelop these areas in phases to reduce such incidents.</p>.<p>"For instance, Raja Market was redeveloped with lanes running inside the market. This is a Paris model. While it does not completely prevent accidents, it greatly reduces the probability. Such gradual redevelopment is important in these commercial hubs," an urban planner said.</p>.<p>In her article 'Reciprocity as Regulation: Exploring Methodologies in Urban Design for the Historical Pete, Bangalore’, renowned urban planner Champaka Rajagopal argued for a bottom-up, negotiated decision-making approach to address such concerns. Also, there is a need to revive fire safety measures such as water hydrants previously installed in these areas.</p>.<p>"Fire safety codes are generic. Improving them with better fire extinguishers on motorbikes and hose pipes that can enter narrow lanes would help in such situations," another urban planner said.</p>.<p>Civil engineers opined that the government should not dilute the bylaws and work towards better enforcement.</p>.<p>"Setback rules should be better enforced in commercial areas since they are densely populated. However, now, the bylaws are being diluted and setbacks reduced for properties. The National Building Code (NBC) is being weakened. The government should immediately address these concerns," said Srikanth Channal from the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers.</p>.<p>Activists have also called for better enforcement of the bylaws to prevent such incidents in future.</p>.<p>“The corporations should stop buildings violating the bylaws. Many are coming up without leaving any setback. The corporations should take immediate action to prevent accidents in the future,” said Rakesh S, a resident of North Bengaluru.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Back-to-back fires at commercial hubs such as Chickpet and Nagarthpet have raised safety concerns in commercial zones, where unplanned economic growth remains a problem.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, 21 shops were gutted after a fire originating at a hardware shop spread rapidly. In August 2025, fire at a five-storey building in Nagarthpet had claimed five lives.</p>.<p>Sources in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said narrow roads near the shop where the accident occurred on Wednesday prevented fire tenders from gaining direct access.</p>.<p>"Fire personnel informed that the blaze was extinguished by laying hose lines from a distance of approximately 300 metres," GBA sources said.</p>.<p>Experts said these hubs have been developed to meet people's requirements. Coercive steps cannot be forced on an unplanned economy. Therefore, local area planning is important.</p>.Chickpet blaze: GBA orders probe, mandatory fire safety measures.<p>Multiple urban planners and experts told DH that the government should redevelop these areas in phases to reduce such incidents.</p>.<p>"For instance, Raja Market was redeveloped with lanes running inside the market. This is a Paris model. While it does not completely prevent accidents, it greatly reduces the probability. Such gradual redevelopment is important in these commercial hubs," an urban planner said.</p>.<p>In her article 'Reciprocity as Regulation: Exploring Methodologies in Urban Design for the Historical Pete, Bangalore’, renowned urban planner Champaka Rajagopal argued for a bottom-up, negotiated decision-making approach to address such concerns. Also, there is a need to revive fire safety measures such as water hydrants previously installed in these areas.</p>.<p>"Fire safety codes are generic. Improving them with better fire extinguishers on motorbikes and hose pipes that can enter narrow lanes would help in such situations," another urban planner said.</p>.<p>Civil engineers opined that the government should not dilute the bylaws and work towards better enforcement.</p>.<p>"Setback rules should be better enforced in commercial areas since they are densely populated. However, now, the bylaws are being diluted and setbacks reduced for properties. The National Building Code (NBC) is being weakened. The government should immediately address these concerns," said Srikanth Channal from the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers.</p>.<p>Activists have also called for better enforcement of the bylaws to prevent such incidents in future.</p>.<p>“The corporations should stop buildings violating the bylaws. Many are coming up without leaving any setback. The corporations should take immediate action to prevent accidents in the future,” said Rakesh S, a resident of North Bengaluru.</p>