Many high-rise buildings, including a few private hospitals, have been served notices from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services for not meeting the required fire safety standards. These buildings have not obtained no-objection certificates from the department before moving to these structures.
The District Fire Officer in Hassan had identified 10 such structures in the city. He had served notices to the owners of these buildings and asked them to meet the fire safety standards within 90 days. According to sources in the department, the structures include Janapriya Hospital, Mangala Hospital, SSM Hospital, Sanjeevini Hospital, and N.D.R.K. Hospital, among others.
All buildings above 15 m in height have to obtain a clearance from the Fire Department. As per the norm, a designated officer has to inspect a building to check if all its fire safety measures are in place before issuing the clearance. The measures that need to be checked include the installation of fire extinguishers, emergency exits in the event of fires and more. “The structures must follow the guidelines in the National Building Code of the Union government. We have identified some structures and issued them notices and given them 90 days to take corrective measures. If they continue to violate the rules even after this period, the department can order a cancellation of their occupancy certificates, besides cutting the water and electricity supplied to them. The head office will make a decision based on the reports from the districts,” said Ranganath, District Fire Officer.
During the building inspection, the fire officers suggest modifications in the structures. “In some structures, there will be enough space for corrective measures. However, in some, there may not. In such cases, we send reports to the head office for further action,” he said.
Earlier, the department had sent similar notices to many hotels, in high-rises in the city. The process to ensure safety measures in these structures is still on.
