Hyderabad: The fire department is issuing notices to those who don’t have fire safety measures in place on their premises and prosecutions are being initiated, but the fire safety equipment in place may not be of much use in times of need, say resident welfare associations and city activists. The fire safety equipment needs to be monitored, they said.
However, senior officials of the fire safety and fire prevention departments said that there is hardly enough staff for issuing notices to the owners of premises who don't have equipment.
A GHMC zonal fire officer said they are helpless as the department is “understaffed” and “toothless.” Frequent checks and ensuring that fire drills are conducted isn't possible with the current staff, he said.
“We don’t have a policy to ensure preventive measures. We will worry about it only after a serious mishap,” said another senior official, adding that the department doesn’t have the “powers to initiate action against those flouting fire safety rules. All we can do is issue notices.”
