How many housing societies conduct fire audits of their buildings?

Housing societies are mandated to submit their building's fire audit report to the Mumbai Fire Brigade office or upload it on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) website. However, currently, there is no information available on the civic body's website regarding the number of institutions that have submitted their audit reports, those that have not, or any actions taken against non-compliant institutions. According to the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Saving Measures Act, 2006, building owners and occupants are required to have their buildings audited by a licensed fire engine and submit the resulting report. It's important for the relevant authorities to maintain transparency and accountability regarding compliance with fire safety regulations to ensure the safety of residents and the public.

What happens next after a fire incident is crucial. Following such incidents, it is essential to determine whether a fire suppression system has been installed in the relevant establishment or building and if it meets the required standards. If there is no such system in place, notices should be issued to the concerned parties. According to regulations, it is mandatory to install the required fire suppression system within 120 days of receiving the notice.

However, as of now, the civic body has not provided details about how many buildings it has taken action against for non-compliance with these regulations. It's important for the authorities to actively enforce these safety measures to prevent future fire incidents and protect the safety of the public.

In 2015, the High Court had instructed the municipal corporation and the fire brigade to provide comprehensive certificates outlining the procedures for assessing fire safety before granting occupancy certificates (OC) to high-rise buildings, as well as to disclose the number of buildings that had undergone inspections up to that point.

RTI activist alleges that for the past several years, we have been seeking information about buildings in Mumbai where fire audits have been conducted. I had written submissions to the commissioner and the officials concerned, but I am not aware of it till date," said Anil Galgali, an RTI activist.

After the tragic Kamala Mills fire incident in 2017, which claimed the lives of 14 people on the pub's terrace, the civic administration and the fire brigade became more proactive. In response, the BMC conducted inspections at 32,615 locations throughout Mumbai and issued notices to 17,000 establishments. Legal action was initiated against 9,407 of these establishments as a result of the inspections. Additionally, in connection with the Kamala Mills fire, five civic officials were suspended, and two owners of the One Above pub along with their uncle were arrested.