Hyderabad: Following last month’s fire mishap at a plastic godown in Seetharambagh that brought the five-storey buildings crashing down, fire services officails have started surveying high risk buildings in the GHMC area and carrying out fire safety drills.
Fire services found it difficult to approach the godown due to the narrow streets and lack of set back area. The department has no power to take action against erring high-rise building owners who violate fire norms; that is left to the GHMC.
Operating within its powers, the department is surveying buildings and carrying out fire safety drills. DG Rajiv Rathan said. “We will check buildings and advise owners to take fire prevention measures and ensure that there is enough space for fire tenders to operate.”
The department which started surveys in the jurisdiction of the Malakpet, Musheera-bad, Assembly, Moghalpura, Chandulal Baradari and Gowliguda fire stations has identified 12 unsafe buildings.
Hyderabad district fire officer M. Srinivas Reddy said, “We have conducted drills at 60 buildings. About 20 per cent were found to be high risk,” he said.
The department is conducting fire drills at commercial buildings that are taller than 15 metres and residential buildings taller than 18m.
Mr Srinivas Reddy said the department would issue Form-12 notices to the owners of vulnerable buildings to insist that they take precautionary measures.
