Rai chairs meet on fire safety

‘Existing measures in industrial areas reviewed’

Taking serious note of consecutive fire accidents in the Capital, including last month’s fire at Bawana which claimed 17 lives, a brainstorming-cum-sensitisation meeting was convened by Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Labour), a team of officers from the Labour Department, and representatives of industrial employers of Naraina Industrial Area, Mayapuri, Okhla, Udyog Nagar and Bawana.

“Existing measures for fire safety in industrial areas were reviewed at the meeting, in addition to new suggestions,” said a senior government official.

The official statement said that Mr. Rai emphasised the necessity and importance of training of fire personnel, keeping passages in buildings clear for free movement, and the role and responsibility of various stake-holding Departments, including Fire Department, the civic bodies, Labour Department, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC) and the Delhi Development Authority.

“The association members requested Mr. Rai to convene a separate meeting specifically for them since there are 16,300 establishments or units operational in Bawana,” the official added. The statement said that employer representatives were very responsive and open to various ideas to ensure that Bawana like incidents are avoided.

Follow-up action

Mr. Rai said that such review meetings will be held at regular intervals and “follow-up action will be taken to ensure compliance” with directions issued regarding fire safety, the statement added.

Besides 17 deaths, two persons had sustained burn injuries in the fire at Bawana. Following the Bawana fire, five more incidents were reported one after the other, including a fire at a jeans making unit in Karol Bagh.