MOHALI: Hydrants empty, sprinklers defunct, the international airport in the town has lost
provisional fire safety clearance.
Acting on a report from joint commissioner Kanu Thind, the
Mohali municipal corporation (MC) on Tuesday terminated the provisional fire NOC (no-objection certificate) given to Chandigarh International Airport Private Limited (Chial). The report highlighted shortcomings that Thind had detected during surprise checks. She had found fire safety lacking in particular.
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The callous disregard for fire safety at an international airport cannot be overlooked. Since an accident can occur anywhere in and around the airport, sufficient water and other agents required for extinguishing a blaze must be available to allow the maximum possibility for evacuation and saving of human lives. To minimise damage to property and human lives, it’s the speed and the water-carrying capacity that will count. In view of this, the authorities should ensure that the firefighting equipment is strategically installed and also conduct periodic checks to keep it in operational readiness.
Thind said: "It was shocking to see very poor fire safety equipment. The fire hydrants were dry and the smoke-alarm-activated sprinklers mounted on the ceiling were defunct. Some of the fire hydrants were placed behind the hoardings of under-repair shops. The provisional certificate issued for six months now stands terminated and we have rejected Chial's application for fire clearance and sent the notice to the airport management."
A day before, the MC joint commissioner inspected the airport for the fire-NOC renewal and found discrepancies like extinguishers on the floor instead of being mounted on the wall. "It surprised us when even the airport's so-called firefighting expert failed to open the water hose. Of the airport's 100-odd fire hydrants, most were defunct," she said.
Rubbishing the MC claims, Chial chief executive officer Suneel Dutt said: "We conduct fire drills at the airport from time to time. There were no shortcomings during inspection, only some firefighting equipment was kept under covers because of maintenance. We have installed the required firefighting equipment. India's leading
construction engineering company L&T maintains our fire and electrical systems, so there is no scope for lapses."
The airport authorities have denied shortcomings during the inspection by the MC officials
