PU, eateries in city lack fire safety, finds MC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

A majority of educational institutions, including Panjab University, and restaurants such as McDonald’s and Gopal’s have no proper firefighting arrangements. Several pubs and discotheques also do not have an adequate firefighting system.

This came to light today during a fire safety check in different parts of the city by teams led by Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner-cum-Chief Fire Officer Anil Kumar Garg. An advisory will be issued to all of them to remove the discrepancies within a week. 

The teams, comprising fire station staff and NGO members, were constituted recently. The inspection was conducted today in the wake of the Mumbai pub fire, which claimed several lives recently.

According to the Chief Fire Officer, during a visit to the administrative block of Panjab University, the firefighting equipment was found lying defunct. The inspection was conducted in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover. Later, during a visit to both government postgraduate colleges in Sector 11,  glaring anomalies were found in the fire safety measures. 

Discrepancies were also found in the RLCR store in Sector 7, Brew Estate and the Kingdom of Beer in Sector 26 and in Sector 35, at four places — the Union Bank of India, Peddlers, McDonald’s and Gopal’s. Officials said though the firefighting system was available, it was not working. Educational institutes such as Allen, Akash and Narain Academy, too, lacked fire safety arrangements, said MC officials.

The educational institutes and restaurants have been told to repair and maintain their firefighting equipment.