The civic body is drawing up strict guidelines and protocols that developers need to adhere to before getting the fire department's no-objection certificate
The Kamala Mills fire had left 15 people dead and injured several others. File pic
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In a bid to revamp the procedure of issuing fire safety permissions, the BMC on Sunday said that it was looking at introducing a more comprehensive system of guidelines and protocols. Civic authorities also mentioned that they were in the process of developing a software that would help to fast track and streamline the process and make it more transparent.
Speaking to mid-day, a BMC official said, "Often, building projects do not fulfill the required criteria – the width of staircases is compromised by developers, refuge areas are small or the buildings do not have the required fire fighting equipment. We will bring out a deficiency table for a building construction plan and give it to developers."
"If developers do not fix the loopholes, then they might not get a no-objection certificate from the fire department," he added.
Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner, said, "The fire department is preparing a software, which will help fast track and streamline the permission process." Speaking on condition of anonymity, another official said, "The software will be ready by the end of this week. After making a note of the deficiencies, it will revert back to the party, which has applied for the permission. Even the public will be able to keep a track of these developments."
The civic body is trying to streamline the fire department's scrutiny procedures, standard operating procedures and delegation of powers to hand out permissions in a timely manner. File pic
The report on deficiencies would also be sent to the compliance officers, who have been appointed to conduct periodic checks to track irregularities, following the Kamala Mills fire incident. These officers would then conduct site inspections, to verify whether the developers have fixed the loopholes or not. And if they fail to do so, then permissions would not be given. A source said that the civic body was streamlining the fire department's scrutiny procedures, standard operating procedures and delegation of powers to hand out permissions in a timely manner.
When contacted, a senior civic official said, "Often a lot of irregularities are involved in building projects. We can deal with these problems once the software is introduced, as it will not leave any scope for malpractices."
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