Gutted incense factory lacked fire safety

Sandeep Rana

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 7

Loss of property and trouble caused to 28 persons yesterday due to a major fire at Devdarshan Dhoop factory could have been averted had the firm installed requisite fire safety equipment.

The Fire and Emergency Service Department has found that fire-fighting equipment were not installed on the entire premises.

“There was no fire-fighting system installed in the factory. We will issue them a notice. Besides, a penalty will also be imposed on them. Other factories which are violating fire safety norms will also be served notices,” Ravi Kant Sharma, chairman of the Fire and Emergency Committee and MC councillor told Chandigarh Tribune.

Baljinder Singh, in-charge of the fire station, Sector 32, said: “There were no fire extinguishers on the factory premises. We will check other violations and compile the complete report by Monday.”

Uma Shankar Gupta, Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, has sought a complete report of the incident from the in-charge on Monday. “I will get the report on Monday. Then only we will be able to find in detail what all violations were there,” he said.

The Fire Department had to press in about seven fire tenders to the site yesterday.

“Had there been fire extinguishers, workers would have themselves started controlling the fire to avoid this loss by the time we reached there. It could have made our rescue work easier,” said a fire official.

Since, there was no other entry to the factory other than the main entrance, the firemen went behind the factory and broke the wall to gain entry.

Notices fail to serve purpose

Notices like this were given earlier as well to various companies, shops and government offices, but there have been a negligible improvement. With the MC failing to do a follow-up, the notices failed to serve purpose. Ravi Kant Sharma, chairman of the Fire and Emergency Committee and MC councillor said: “We will analyse what improvement has been made by those who were served notices. Then, we will raid those premises and seal them.”

Major fire incidents in the past

July 3, 2017: Some records and office equipment were destroyed in a fire that broke out on the top floor of the Punjab Financial Corporation building at the city’s main commercial complex in Sector 17. 

May 14, 2017: Fire broke out in the administration building of Panjab University, destroying at least part of the records of the accounts section.

September 29, 2015: Many shops were gutted in a fire in the furniture market in Sector 53.

June 9, 2014: A four-storeyed building collapsed due to a major fire in the NIELIT building in Sector 17.

November 3, 2012: Eight shops-cum-cabins of a shop-cum-office in the Sector 22 market gutted in fire.

April 10, 2009: Four persons died of suffocation in a devastating fire that engulfed two floors of a showroom in Sector 22.