West Perumal Maistry Street instantly reminds a majority of citizens of a stretch filled with hotels and restaurants. For some others, it gives a picture of a narrow dingy lane, filled with garbage overflowing from dumper bins. Very few have knowledge about the presence of workshops and engineering lathes here.
Three days ago, when a fire broke out in the workshops, many properties, including vehicles and equipment such as welding plants, were destroyed. Though the Fire and Rescue Services Department described the fire as “major,” there was no injury or casualty in the accident.
However, it took over two hours for the fire fighters to put out the fire.
The Sunday fire accident has come as a wake-up call to the local body authorities.
Questions like, can such workshops using welding machines and inflammable items be allowed to function among hotels, restaurants, houses, shopping and commercial establishments, have cropped up.
Modalities examined
Apart from safety aspects, the accident has also prompted the authorities to examine modalities of educating the people on the need to shift the workshops to safer places, preferably away from the city limits.
Appeal
Recently, the Tamil Nadu Motor Parts Dealers’ Association members had appealed to the district administration to give them space outside the city limits, which may, in a way, help to decongest traffic.
On the lines of the above appeal, the Corporation may also examine modalities of shifting the workshops/lathes away from dingy lanes.
This will not only bring about some lung space but also prevent accidents.
No precautionary measures
Wishing anonymity, a fire officer said that there were no precautionary measures in place and the spontaneous efforts by locals helped in preventing the fire from spreading further.
The workers had just left the spot and being a Sunday many workshops in the campus had declared a holiday, he added.
To take stock of the situation, Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri and his team inspected the accident site in the last two days.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, he said that as a first step, each officer in the four zones had been instructed to take stock of such workshops functioning in their jurisdiction. Next, “we will find out whether they are safe.
Lastly, we will check whether safety measures have been carried out by the workshops in the event of any fire accident.”
According to a senior official from zone 3, there are at least half-a-dozen workshops functioning under “dangerous environment” in the city for a long number of years.
There is no safety to workers or people living closer to these workshops.
Ponnagaram itself has three such workshops. Others include Jaihindpuram, Subramaniapuram, behind Kalavasal intersection, behind Sellur (LIC Divisional Office), Vandiyur, Tamil Sangam Road (Pechiamman Padithurai) and Alwarpuram.
Apart from automobile workshops, engineering lathe and gas welders use the open space along the Vaigai river bank.
Polluting the space is a different story to be dealt with.
Corporation councillors said that like the vegetable market and omni buses, which were shifted out of the city, the automobile workshops functioning in dangerous environs should be exclusively given space, they added.
