FedAOA president Alok Kumar feels the GDA must clearly define "convenience stores" that are allowed within residential complexes. In the absence of clarity, shops that pose a fire threat also operate with impunity.
A short circuit at a restaurant in the commercial complex of Gaur Global Village, Crossings Republik, yesterday at 7.30 pm, has thrown the AOA into panic.
This is the second incident of a short circuit at the same restaurant in a week. It happened at one of the ACs installed in the restaurant, Sagar Ratna.
However, when City Spidey spoke to Pratap Singh, manager of the restaurant, he denied the claims of a short circuit and said the incident resulted from voltage fluctuation instead.
However his colleague, cashier Chandra Prakash, admitted to a short circuit. “Yes, a short circuit did happen yesterday. It happened due some technical glitch in the AC.”
The management that looks into commercial activity for Gaursons India Limited (GIL), builder of Gaur Global, seemed unaware of the incident. “Since you have brought it to our knowledge, we will look into the matter,” Tarun, in-charge of the commercial activities at GIL, said to City Spidey.
The AOA secretary, Sanjay Jha, is perturbed by the frequency of short circuits. “It’s a grave threat to the residents. In a mere moment, a short circuit can turn into a full-fledged fire,” he cautioned.
He reminded of a similar incident that started with a short circuit and soon turned into a major fire.
In February 2017, a fire broke out in the same restaurant due to a short circuit in its exhaust vent.
He also pointed out the threat of operating commercial enterprises close to residential areas. The commercial complex of Gaur coexists within the residential building.
Alok Kumar, President of Federation of All Apartment Owners (FedAOA), said, “The incident has once again highlighted the urgency to resolve the impending issues of a fire station at Crossings and the need to define ‘convenience stores’.”
“Convenience stores are provisions for small commercial activities, which do not pose fire or any kind of threat to the residents, such as bread-butter and stationery shops,” Alok said. “GDA must lay down the meaning of this term, as people are capitalising on the inherent confusion in the term,” he added.
Since the last three years, residents have repeatedly approached the authorities, requesting them to provide land for an independent fire station, but to no avail.
