MARGAO: The Salcete Taluka consists of 66 sprawling villages, but implementation of fire safety guidelines is extremely lax, with very few establishments having the required systems in place and the mandated approvals from the State Fire Department. Incidents of fire, therefore, have been on the rise.
Just last year, for instance, 558 distress calls were recorded in the taluka, of which 201 were fire incidents, 257 emergency incidents and 100 rescue incidents. Total loss of property due to blazes amounted to Rs 62 lakh while property worth Rs 2.5 crore was salvaged.
A recently retired fire officer said that in some of the fire incidents reported, no corrective measures had been taken by the owners of shops or buildings concerned to protect against breakouts of fire.
The officer also said that some shops and private buildings in the taluka, particularly in the commercial hub of Margao, are in grave need of fire safety systems.
Inspections by teams of fire safety personnel were followed by the issuance of notices to the owners of shops or buildings to take appropriate fire safety measures, but compliance has been lukewarm at best.
Fire safety personnel said that while some shops or housing complexes have the required equipment, they have failed to comply with safety guidelines. Many also lack fire safety provisions but somehow manage to get their fire NOCs renewed, an aspect that requires to be investigated.
As per zoning regulations, all tall buildings must mandatorily obtain an NOC from the Fire Department. Margao Fire Station Officer Gill Souza said that fire safety measures are compulsory in marriage and community halls, too. “Periodic inspections by fire service personnel are conducted. No one should fail to provide a fire escape route and sufficient open space,” he said.
