Kozhikode: In spite of repeated warnings and random inspections, shops at SM Street continue flouting building, fire safety and trading rules. Fire and safety, electrical department and city corporation officials during a joint inspection on Tuesday found less than 50 percent of them had responded to warnings. When they went there for inspection, a group of owners and their staff blocked them. They later allowed in only fire and safety officials to conduct the inspection. “No fire tank, missing fire pumps and proper firefighting system, malfunctioning fire extinguisher, heaps of wastes dumped in the staircase and congested walkways are the present scene here,” said an official.
"We served notices on more than 50 shops to mend ways or shut down. A majority of the licensees had rented out space to others violating the Dangerous and Offensive Trades and Factories Rules." District fire officer Arun Bhaskar said the department was on a 14 days mission to trace shops violating the fire and safety norms, leading to several fire mishaps in the region. "We have completed five days with the major focus on the Koyenco Bazar and Oasis Complex housing nearly 300 shops with hundreds of workers," he said. "SM Street has close to 1,000 outlets, all interconnected and hence accident-prone."
New fire station at Mukkom
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the fire station at Mukkam on April 6. It was a long-term dream of the residents in the region for a fire station, in the wake of several fire mishaps reported from the region. “So far the region was depending upon the fire and safety officials at Kozhikode city in case of any mishaps. The new fire station at Mukkam will be a solution to this long term plea”, said District Fire officer Arun Baskher. The number of fire incidents has gone up in the city over the last couple of years and hence the need of a fire station was very crucial. The fire station at Koyilandy will also be soon completed and opened for the service of the public, he further added.
