Click to play videoChennai: Ten years after the Uphaar fire tragedy, families of the victims are yet to get justice. Some lessons may have been learnt in Delhi theatres with regard to fire safety, but In Chennai, there just might be a tragedy waiting to happen, especially in heritage buildings.
Three years ago, ninety-four children killed in a fire accident in Kumbakonam. Before that a fire tragedy at a wedding hall in Srirangam in Southern Tamil Nadu where 12 people perished but fire safety is still lax in Chennai. Home to the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country, after Kolkata, Chennai's attitude to fire is often cure rather than prevention.
Historian and conservationist Bernard Swamy said, “These heritage buildings need a different kind of fire safety. They have large halls and the fire safety norms for modern buildings aren't enough for them. They usually have only sand or buckets of water to prevent fires.”
Over 1,500 heritage buildings in one city - most of them offices. Fire is a clear and present danger to thousands of employees.
Primitive fire fighting equipments are in place - like buckets of sand. No emergency exits, no concealed wiring and no fire extinguishers. In fact, the government doesn't even have an official list of heritage buildings in the city.
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Chairman Parithi Ellamvazhithi said, “We're yet to work out a list of the buildings. We will start work on heritage buildings once the draft master plan comes into action."
With government authorities putting off this important issue, what will spark off an introspective look at fire safety norms in heritage buildings in Chennai? We hope it won't be another Kumbakonam.
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