Fire outbreaks in Delhi’s private hospital and Rajkot’s indoor gaming centre have renewed debate over fire safety in India.
- In 2022, In India, 7,435 people were killed in over 7,500 fire accidents (NCRB report 2022).
Challenges in preventing fire outbreaks
- Absence of uniform safety legislation: Fire Services is a State subject and Fire safety operations fall under municipalities which generally suffer from resource constraints.
- National Building Code of India, 2016, has a provision for ‘Fire and Life Safety’ audit but it is recommendatory.
- Inadequate Fire Services: According to the Central Government’s reply in Parliament in 2019, there were 5,191 fewer fire stations and 5,03,365 fewer personnel than required.
- Poor Compliance: For example,
- In Delhi hospital’s license was inadequate and expired, while the building was not equipped with fire extinguishers or emergency doors.
- Rajkot’s indoor gaming centre lacked no-objection certificate from fire safety authorities, and welding work was underway during business hours.
- Suboptimal government oversight: Inspections are weak, audits after major disasters reveal critical shortcomings, but follow-up actions, are rare.
Other Initiatives Taken for Fire Safety
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