fire safety

Following a fire in a Surat coaching centre that claimed 24 lives, the Bhopal administration ordered an inspection of fire safety compliance at all coaching centres. Findings were alarming and notices have been issued to 200 coaching institutes and hostels.

More than 5,000 unauthorised constructions have been demolished in the crackdown following the horrific fire in a Surat coaching centre in May, but in a city that has routinely legalised illegal buildings and never looked inside to check compliance with fire guidelines, is the present knee-jerk reaction really enough?

The Kamala Mills tragedy in Mumbai has suddenly led to fire safety inspections in restaurants and eateries in many cities, but there are reports aplenty to show that fire preparedness anywhere in these cities is abysmal.