At the Sector 19 market, the fire department conducted inspection, days after conducting a mock drill.CORRIDORS COMPLETELY choked by encroachers, illegal kundi connections and naked wires hanging in the open. This is what has been pointed out in the notices served by the fire department on the busiest and prominent markets of the city — Sadar Bazar, Sector 19, and Shastri Market, Sector 22.
The notices have been sent by the station fire officer to the respective market welfare associations and a copy of the same has been sent to the Estate Officer, Municipal Commissioner, Chief Engineer, and respective station house officers.
At the Sector 19 market, the fire department conducted inspection, days after conducting a mock drill. Naked wires hanging at the market are a common sight. Most shops are not equipped with firefighting equipment.
“The entry and exit points are not bearing any signages. The passages within the markets have been encroached upon by the booth owners/encroachers. Items of clothing and other goods are displayed in passage by handling them from makeshift ceiling/sheets. The raised floor/wooden racks in front of the booths are a hindrance to event of any type of emergency for the general public or shoppers to come out to the ultimate safety (sic),” the notice said.
The fire team stated that there was loose wiring all around and the joints are naked.
“Also, independent fire extinguishers are not provided in the booths. At the same time, common ABC type fire extinguishers are not installed in all the passages/corridors,” the notice said.
It was suggested in the notice that the shopkeepers/sales boys and girls should be familiar with handling operation of fire extinguishers.
“Therefore, in view of the above, during physical inspection and the mock drill conducted by the department, it was found that your place that is market is completely found chocked restricting the fire vehicle movement due to the countless number of vendors that have encroached the road side and have also covered and blocked the entrance to many roads leading towards the market (sic),” the notice stated.
The UT Chief Engineer in this case has also been directed to formulate a proposal for providing yard hydrants with accessories in a box around the market with water capacity of at least 2 lakh liters underground exclusively for firefighting purpose. The station house officer, police station, has been told not to allow illegal encroachers to open their shops at and around the market.
In Sector 22, the fire department pointed out that there is only a provision for entry and exit gate at the same place at the market whereas the passage at the rear of the market going through the houses has been closed by erecting temporary wall causing obstacle in the shortest possible route for vehicles in case of a fire incident. If fire breaks out in the shops at the rear of the market then it would be very difficult for the fire vehicle to enter from the front side due to uneven/wrong parking, rehri/fadi vendors in the parking area and footpath.
It has been suggested that the temporary wall at the rear of the market be removed so that the said road could be used as an exit of the market, making it a one-way zone for smooth movement of traffic.
Due to heavy congestion of traffic, it is difficult for a fire tender to reach the fire spot inside the market.
“The fire extinguishers installed were insufficient in number and required to be refilled after hydraulic testing / hanging material displayed outside the walls of the booths and the packing material/card boards stored over the terrace of the booths is required to be removed (sic),” the notice stated.
The station fire officer said that there should be a provision for underground water tank having capacity 2,00,000 litres with firefighting pump exclusively for firefighting purpose and vendors be shifted to some other open place from the footpaths.
