The Maharashtra government has issued a notification amending fire safety rules for buildings prone to terrorist attacks or man-made disasters, just 24 hours after a warning from the Bombay High Court. The High Court had warned the state against a possible order to suspend all development permits in Mumbai due to inadequate fire safety regulations.

The newly introduced regulations aim to improve fire and electrical safety standards and require regular checks of equipment to prevent loss of life and property in the event of a fire. Mumbai has seen numerous fires in recent years, not only in slums but also in high-rise buildings, causing many deaths. Investigations revealed that many fires were caused by non-compliance with current fire safety standards.

The High Court’s warning came during a hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyers Abha Singh and Aditya Pratap, who sought to enforce fire safety regulations for buildings exposed to man-made disasters. The bench, comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, slammed the state government for its delayed action in framing necessary fire safety rules, especially after the recent fatal fires in buildings. The court fixed the hearing date for November 20, warning that further inaction could lead to restriction of approval of construction plans in Mumbai.

Although the Department of Urban Development had previously appointed an expert committee to develop independent safety inspection regulations, it had not been informed of this until now. The updated regulations apply to buildings with a built-up area of ​​more than 10,000 m² or an occupancy of more than 1,000 people, identified as vulnerable based on risk assessment scores.

The main requirements of the notification include:

– High-rise buildings must have fire towers with at least two hours of fire resistance, equipped with a firefighter evacuation elevator and a ventilated entrance hall integrated into the emergency staircase.

– After the completion of a building, the owner or company must ensure that fire protection measures are properly maintained.

– Electrical installations must be inspected and certified by a licensed electrical engineer at least once every five years. Failure to comply with maintenance and certification requirements may result in disconnection of electrical power until the issues are resolved.

The writer is independent