Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Tuesday launched a month-long drive to inspect fire-safety arrangements in major public and commercial buildings, including shopping malls, hospitals and educational institutions, officials said.
The special fire-safety inspection drive will continue till October 15 and has been launched in the wake of a major fire incident at a hotel in Delhi that claimed 23 lives, they said.
During the drive, surprise inspections will be conducted at public and commercial buildings to assess compliance with fire-safety norms and identify gaps, they added.
“Through the special fire safety review campaign, Odisha Fire & Emergency Services is reviewing fire-safety practices, identifying gaps and encouraging compliance to build safer, more prepared communities across Odisha. Because a ‘Surakshita’ (safer) Odisha is the foundation of a ‘Vikashita’ (developed) Odisha,” the department said in a social media post.
DG Fire Service Sudhanshu Sarangi said the inspections would cover educational institutions, hospitals and shopping malls.
“New buildings have the required fire-safety measures. The issue remains with old buildings. Such buildings need to have active fire-safety systems to deal with possible fire incidents,” he said.
If any violation or deviation from fire-safety norms is found, a notice will be issued to the building’s proprietor, and the matter will be brought to the notice of the concerned development authority, he added.