Urban anarchy, faulty cylinders, and failing fire services: A deadly mix

The fire that razed down a number of houses at Gandhibasti on Thursday should serve to highlight multiple fire hazards stemming from unplanned and unscientific urbanisation to defective LPG cylinders. Leakage in cooking gas cylinders marketed by IOC has been a conspicuous phenomenon, with old, worn-out and defective cylinders accounting for a sizeable segment of the cylinders in circulation.

Cylinders are often transported and stocked in an irresponsible and dangerous manner as well, causing damage to those and rendering them susceptible to leakage. This is something both the IOC and the State government should take serious note of. The worthiness of the LPG cylinders needs to be reviewed and those which have outlived their utility should be taken out of circulation immediately.

As for the growing unscientific and haphazard urbanisation in the city, those expanding such urban spaces have failed to adhere to norms of urban planning in general and fire prevention in particular. Shocking as it is, our thoughtless acts of omission and commission have, over the years, prepared the ground for such fire disasters.

While our fire-fighting preparedness is one aspect, no less disturbing is the issue of negligence of our government authorities-especially those entrusted with sustaining the city's growth and development. There had been similar incidents of fire in the city in recent times, but our refusal to learn lessons has paved the way for such disasters to recur.

Aside from the city's unscientific growth, the inadequacy and under-preparedness of the State Fire Service is another cause of worry. An integral component of any disaster-response mechanism, our fire services remain hamstrung by constraints that range from abysmal manpower to lack of modern logistics.

As per a survey, the State has just over a hundred fire stations against the requirement of 200-something that invariably comes to the fore during any fire disaster. Worse, most of the fire stations function well below their mandated manpower strength, with hundreds of posts lying vacant. The State Disaster Response Force, too, has not been equipped with the desired man-power.

Time and again, we have been witnesses to how infrastructure and manpower constraints come in the way of quick and effective response during a fire. Another irritant that impedes firefighting efforts is the existence of a large number of narrow, crowded lanes in many localities, in both residential and commercial areas.

With better amenities at its disposal, the fire services could have minimised the losses substantially. An integrated firefighting mechanism has to put emphasis on multiple aspects, including strict compliance with fire safety and other building norms by commercial establishments, educational institutions, market complexes, etc.

Slack enforcement and corruption have definitely been fuelling rampant violations of mandatory fire-prevention norms. If the authorities are indeed serious about minimising fire hazards, this appalling lacuna needs to be addressed at the earliest.