Many Mumbai buildings flouting fire safety rules

In a study by BMC, 278 out of 1,270 buildings in Mumbai lacked fire compliance certificates, leading to concerns about fire safety measures and certifications.

In a study undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in 2023 on 1,270 buildings in Mumbai, it was found out that 278 of these buildings did not have fire compliance certificates.

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This was stated by the state government in a reply to a question asked by Bhai Jagtap of the Congress and others on the 13,000 incidents of fire in Mumbai in the last three years that left 65 dead and 473 injured. The opposition members also asked if the BMC planned on issuing threats of snapping water and power connections to those buildings that did not meet the fire safety compliance regulations.

In a written reply to their queries, CM Eknath Shinde acknowledged that the BMC had indeed done a survey of 1,270 buildings in 2023 and found deficiencies in 278 of those buildings. After this, the corporation had issued directions to buildings over 70 metres to install fire evacuation lifts. It also announced that the buildings which did not have such lifts would be given provisional occupation certifications.

Fire compliance certificates are issued by the Fire Brigade authorities if the buildings comply with certain rules aimed at ensuring fire safety of the residents.