Friday, June 2, 2017

Jun 02 2017 : The Times of India (Chennai)
Shop at your own risk: Most structures unsafe
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


With the embers may die the fear of stepping into those colossal showrooms in T Nagar, but don't forget this: Many of them still don't adhere to fire safety norms or have firefighting equipment. The Chennai Silks showroom, which has turned into a skeleton of iron beams after a massive fire gutted the structure, did not possess the mandatory completion certificate.B Kannan, secretary, T Nagar residents' welfare association said building resgulations were blatantly flouted in the commercial hub.“Leading retailers are installing heavy airconditioning machines on the terrace, the load of which the buildings cannot support,“ he said.In the event of a disaster, shoppers will have to pay the price as there are no emergency exits in many of the buildings.
A fire safety audit conducted by the fire and rescue department in 2015 found gross violations in the popular retail shops that dot the area. The audit found that the basic firefightinmg equipment like the automatic sprinkler and wet riser systems were missing from some of the buildings.
Moreover, residents say they have not witnessed mock drills in the multistoreyed buildings. Quality assurance auditor Kesavan Pandian said the Wednesday fire accident has exposed that such accidents are waiting to happen in poorly-equipped commercial complexes. “There are fire safety standards for industries and mock drills should be conducted once in 30 days. Have you ever heard of any such mock drill in commercial complexes that is thronged by thousands?“ he asked.

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