After the fire mishap at a shopping mall at Damana here a couple of days ago, the Fire Services special teams on Saturday conducted a fire safety audit in 10 shopping malls in the city.
Speaking at a Press conference, Fire Service DG Bijay Sharma said that out of the 10 shopping malls, only two had licences; and the rest neither had licences nor had fire safety equipments.
Sharma said the inspection broadly reveals that many malls do not have complete and comprehensive fire safety measures. In some places, fixed firefighting installations and fire extinguishers are available, but a few other types of equipments are needed to be installed.
Besides, the open spaces, corridors and escape routes were found to be blocked, which pose a danger to life and property. Good housekeeping, which plays a vital role in fire safety, was not found, he said.
Moreover, most of the malls do not have adequate exit signage to lead the occupants to places of safety in case of any emergency. Notices would be issued to the defaulting establishments to meet the shortcomings within two months. In case of noncompliance, further legal action, including sealing of the premises, would be initiated, Sharma said.
Notably, the State Government has enacted the Odisha Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Rules, 2017, which have come into force on October 4, 2017. The rules empower fire personnel to inspect different establishments to check safety measures and initiate appropriate legal action in case of noncompliance. In pursuance of the rules, the inspections were conducted on Saturday to verify preparedness of the mall owners to meet fire eventualities and also to create awareness about fire safety requirements in the malls.