Team Herald
PANJIM: In a first, Goa Police will carry out fire safety inspection of all kinds of building structures and take punitive action against the owners if gross lapses in the safety norms are found.
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Against the backdrop of major fire in Mumbai high rise building, Director General of Goa Police I D Shukla directed station house officers of all the police stations to ensure compliance of Occupancy Certificates from housing societies having buildings with more than five floors, schools, hospitals, hotels, government and private offices, etc.
If any of these establishments are found to have flouted fire safety standards, the police officers will be bound to book a case of negligence and risk to human lives.
“We should not wait for any casualty to happen. It is a preventive exercise to ensure that all the fire safety standards as directed in the Occupancy Certificate are complied with. We will inspect on the availability of fire safety equipments in these buildings and that these are functional. If we find gross negligence, FIR will be registered,” DGP Shukla told Herald.
The Goa Police, he said, is also coordinating with the related departments such as Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services to sensitise the people on the issue.
At least seven persons were killed and 16 others injured in a major fire that broke out on the 18th floor of a residential building in Tardeo area of central Mumbai last Saturday morning. Many of its residents were still asleep even as 13 fire engines and 7 water jetties were pressed into service to douse the fire.
The Fire Department in Goa has been carrying out audits of the buildings, particularly government buildings including hospitals, Secretariat, government offices, schools, etc. In many instances, these structures are not complying with the fire safety norms.
