Fire department to carry out surprise checks at educational institutes in the area to ensure presence of requisite fire-fighting equipment
Fire department to carry out surprise checks at educational institutes in the area to ensure presence of requisite fire-fighting equipment
With the admission season at its peak, colleges in Noida are hot spots these days. And the local fire department wants to ensure that things don't get out of hand. In fact, the agency has sent notices to various educational institutions in the township to install requisite fire-fighting equipment on premises before commencement of the new academic session. If they don't comply, the colleges can expect to find themselves in the dock as the authorities have planned surprise inspections.
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There are around 87 professional colleges functioning in Noida and Greater Noida area and, according to reports, most of them do not have proper fire-safety measures in place. Greater Noida Fire Station Officer, AR Sharma said: "Most of the colleges are openly flouting the norm. If any untoward incident happens, it would be difficult for us to control the situation. So we have issued notices to all the colleges asking them to make necessary arrangements before the beginning of the new academic session."
The officer warned that if any college is found violating the guidelines, strict action would be initiated. "A team will be formed and random checks would be conducted. Those found not adhering to the required standards will be penalised. In the past too we had issued notices to several colleges for not following norms."
Blaze proof
Spokesperson of Sharda University, located in Greater Noida, said that they have fire-fighting equipment in place. "This is a very important aspect which is generally ignored by most of colleges. However, we have installed the equipment across our campus. We have five fire hydrants located on each floor. Each hydrant covers an area of 30-40 metres. Also we have 5-15 fire extinguishers on each floor depending upon the length and breadth of the building. Apart from this we have installed modern fire fighting equipment everywhere. Regular check-ups are done and if any equipment is found defective, it is immediately replaced. Training is also given to students as well as staff members to handle these equipment in case of emergencies."
'Nobody cares'
The fire department carries out regular verification at buildings in the district, but officials believe their advice often falls on deaf ears. Last year 283 buildings were checked for fire safety norms and 77 of them were issued notices, as they were found lacking. On condition of anonymity, a fire department official agreed that most buildings (residential as well as commercial) in the satellite town generally don't follow fire-safety regulations. "There is a law which mandates that a building needs to get a fire-safety certificate from the fire services department, before it can be given a completion certificate. But this is not adhered too. Most of the buildings are functional without following such norms."
In another circular issued by the district administration to all the private colleges affiliated to Mahamaya Technical University, it has warned them of collecting huge donation money in the name of management quota. If such complaint is received against any college, FIR will be lodged against it immediately. Gautam Budha Nagar District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal said, "Any complaints received by the students will be promptly attended. If the college is found guilty, FIR will also be lodged against them. Simultaneously, we would ask the university to cancel their affiliation also. Complaints can be made directly to the city magistrate of the respective area."
Geared-up
The Gautam Buddh Nagar fire department at present has six fire stations and 20 fire tenders besides foam tenders, one ambulance and special uniforms, fire boots, torches and walkie-talkies to handle the fire-fighting needs of the township. In addition, there are 100 water hydrants and 79 underground water storage reservoirs located across the district.
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