After fire\, a flood of complaints from residents

Koch

After fire, a flood of complaints from residents

Safety at stake: Most godowns in the city are located along narrow roads. This hampers entry of fire tenders and ambulances in case of disasters. A scene from Kalathiparambil Road where a huge fire engulged a footwear godown on Wednesday .

Safety at stake: Most godowns in the city are located along narrow roads. This hampers entry of fire tenders and ambulances in case of disasters. A scene from Kalathiparambil Road where a huge fire engulged a footwear godown on Wednesday .   | Photo Credit: H_Vibhu

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The Kochi Corporation is being flooded with complaints of godowns functioning along narrow byroads in densely-populated areas, following the massive fire that tore through a six-storey building which housed a footwear godown on Kalathiparambil Road on Wednesday.

The civic agency, which repeatedly came under fire for doing little to regulate and relocate godowns, has now sought information from members of the public about godowns that flout safety and other norms. Most complaints are of godowns that store inflammable and hazardous goods, functioning in residential areas.

Inconvenience

“Many godowns are also a public nuisance and hamper peace in residential areas, with frequent movement of lorries and other goods carriers through narrow roads even during night time and loading and unloading activity,” said P. Rangadasa Prabhu, president of Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC).

Town planning standing committee chairperson Shyni Mathew sought information from members of the public about godowns that flout norms.

“We would shortly introduce squads to keep tabs on such violations,” she said.

Most owners avail permission to construct a commercial building and convert it into godown space.

The Town Planning wing will propose to the civic agency that such buildings must be inspected frequently, including when renewing their licence.

It is not the case now, since inspections were done only on receipt of specific complaints, added Ms. Mathew.

Unauthorised structures

Former Mayor K.J. Sohan, who was chairman of town planning standing committee during the previous council, said many such godowns were among the 16,000 unauthorised constructions identified within Corporation limits.

“Some of them function even without the mandatory licence and do not adhere to fire safety and health norms. It is shocking that there is no system to keep tabs on rule violators,” he said.

Mr. Prabhu said there was a need to relocate such godowns to the suburbs.

“This can be done if the Corporation and the district administration strictly implement and monitor disaster-management norms. Moreover, space for residential areas and godowns must be demarcated as in cities like Chandigarh.”

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