Violation of fire safety norms has been rampant in the city. It is time the department concerned should act strictly to avert such incidents in the future.
Following the massive fire that claimed 22 lives in Gujarat's Surat city, the residents across Noida have raised serious concerns regarding their safety from the blaze in market places.
Talking to City Spidey on this issue, a resident of Sector 50 Vimal Sharma said, "Markets are existing in all types of single and double-storey buildings besides multiplexes. But the million dollar question is are they equipped with fire fighting equipment as per fire safety norms."
"Atta and Sunehri market, which are among the busiest and congested markets in the city, are bereft of fire safety equipment," Sharma added.
Expressing grief on the mishap that took place in Surat, Vimal hoped that such incidents should not occur anywhere in the future, especially in these markets located in Noida as the damage will be huge because not even a single shop here has a fire extinguisher installed to tackle such incidents.
Putting the onus on the district administration, Sharma said order should be issued to all the shopkeepers to strictly comply with the safety norms. Besides, proper check on the compliance being followed can avert such fire accidents, he suggested.
Lieutenant Colonel RP Khanna, a resident of Sector 120, stated the fire safety norms are in place but only on paper. Besides, people too, are negligent about it. Officials concerned do not inspect the markets frequently, so the execution of laws is lacking in this context, feels Khanna.
"The department concerned, their officials, the public, in general, seem to be concerned and responsible at the time of mishap but after a day or two, the concerns get buried somewhere deep down under. That is what makes the situation more aggravating and problematic in the long-run," Khanna added.
He while concluding said, "Well. it all starts with the developer of these market places. He, in order to save his money and time, compromises on the legalities and safety measures which need to be taken care of at any cost. Then the officials, with their callous approach, make the situation worse and as a result, such grave mishaps take place, claiming innocent lives."
