'Compliance should not be a revenue-generating activity'

Large number of people gathered at Carlton tower after fire accident, at old Air port road in Bangalore on Tuesday. Photo/Vasu M NThe #IamAFireChamp campaign is part of a series of events to mark Beyond Carlton’s 10th year, a decade after February 23. Credit: DH Photo

Re-inspection of high-rise buildings (15m and taller) every two years is critical to ensure that the occupants do not violate fire safety guidelines and jeopardise lives.

But the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services levies a fee to do this, which can range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh per block depending on the building height and other factors.

This is a hefty charge, notes Vikram Rai from the Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF). “Apartment complexes would end up paying Rs 10-20 lakh. Compliance should not be a revenue-generating
activity. The high fee will make people avoid going through the process,” he contends.

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Since hundreds of high-rises have mushroomed across the city, the task of inspection and re-inspection is mammoth for the Fire and Emergency Services. Implementation of the re-inspection rule has been tardy, with several apartment dwellers and residents associations even unaware of the need to do so.

BAF has suggested a way out for the Fire Department: Engage empanelled agencies trained to do exactly this. But the Federation’s proposal in this regard has been pending with the State Home Department for the last two years.

Once the empanelled agencies are in place, Vikram says, the Federation could promote the biennial inspections. “The larger, better-branded apartments have fire safety precautions in place. But the general level of awareness among the smaller, Ground plus three (G+3) apartments is low.”

BAF had done a fire safety audit with 50 apartments by engaging student volunteers from a private college. The Federation has now proposed to undertake a larger audit in partnership with Beyond Carlton. “There are a lot of compliance issues. Grills are only a part of this. The kind of interior material used, gas connection safety, access, are all question marks. There is a need for more safety drills and get more younger people involved,” Vikram elaborates