Adarsh fire engulfs fire department too

CBI officials say building violates several fire safety norms, including presence of refuge areas, which is mandatory for all high-rises

THE fire department's name has also been added to the list of departments involved in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam.

The CBI has found that the scam-tainted building was issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the department despite the flouting of several fire safety norms.


The fire department allegedly issued an NOC to Adarsh despite being aware of the hazards it poses

These include the most basic one of having a refuge area, which is mandatory for all high-rises.

"The misconduct of several senior officials from the Fire Brigade department has come to the fore. They granted an NOC to the building despite being aware of the hazards it poses.
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The 31-storey building does not have a single refuge floor the spaces allocated for the same were converted into flats to accommodate the long queue of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats," said a senior CBI official, requesting anonymity.

A refuge floor is a protected area that serves as a shelter for the building's occupants. They can temporarily assemble there and rest in case of an emergency evacuation.

According to fire safety norms, it is mandatory for a high-rise to set aside 4 per cent of the total built-up area as space for refuge floors.

"Initially, four floors in the building were designated as refuge areas. However, money exchanged hands and even those were converted into flats.

We will call the concerned fire department officials for questioning," the official added.

Overlooked

In November 2007, the fire brigade had issued an NOC based on the plan submitted by the builder, which earmarked floors number 6, 13 and 20 as refuge areas.

However, in the final noting by the fire department, they have accepted the terrace and cantilevers as refuge areas, which is against the rules, said the officer.

Uday Tatkare, Chief Fire Officer, was unavailable for comment.