72% party spots ran fire risks ahead of NYE

Around 72% of the 402 orchestra bars, pubs and discotheques inspected by the Mumbai Fire Brigade ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations did not comply with fire safety

Around 72% of the 402 orchestra bars, pubs and discotheques inspected by the Mumbai Fire Brigade ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations did not comply with fire safety norms, data revealed.

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The December 2019 drive saw the fire brigade inspect spots in the city that play live or recorded music, have a dance floor or allow dancing in their premises and serve alcohol. The fire brigade found 288 premises — 71.64% — not complying with fire safety rules.

Of them, 173 complied with rules after inspection, but 115 continued to violate rules, as of January 1, 2020. Action for non-compliance was taken against 120 premises.

According to the fire brigade, Lower Parel, where the December 2017 Kamala Mills compound fire that killed 14 people happened, saw six premises not complying with fire safety norms even after inspection.

P Rahangdale, chief fire officer, said, “The fire brigade has a list of premises that hosts parties for New Year’s Eve. There were 411 such premises. The premises we picked for inspection were based on parameters such as the size of the crowd, electric equipment, among others.”

Of the 411 premises listed with the fire brigade, 11 could not be traced or were listed under duplicate addresses and 87 were found closed at the time of inspection.

Forty premises remained fire safety non-compliant in South Mumbai even after inspection, followed by 25 non-compliant premises between Goregaon and Borivli, 19 in Chembur, 18 in Bandra and Andheri and 12 in Mulund and Bhandup.

The preliminary action taken by the fire brigade included seizure of LPG cylinders, illegal cooking material or alcohol stored in wrong areas and serving notices under the fire safety act. In the notice, the fire brigade gave the premises a month to comply with fire safety rules, or else there would be stricter action.

Rahangdale said, “In some premises found non-compliant, the violations were not integral to the building structure. We confiscated the material violating fire safety rules and the premises automatically became fire safety compliant.”

Gurbaxish Singh, vice-president of Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI), said, “It is unfortunate that there are so many places that are fire safety non-compliant. It is our duty to make sure we create a safe environment for our customers to enjoy themselves. However, all our members strictly comply with fire-safety norms as it is a pre-requisite for our membership.”