PIL seeks implementation of 2009 Fire Safety Rules, HC to take it up on Feb 7

After the division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Makarand S Karnik convened on Monday, advocate Aditya Pratap, representing petitioner activist Abha Singh, mentioned the PIL. He sought urgent hearing of the PIL, which sought directions to the state government for the issuance
of final notification pursuant to notice dated February 27, 2009 on Special Regulations for Building Vulnerable to Manmade Disasters, which were formulated after the 26/11 terror attacks and bomb blasts.

The lawyer said that in view of the recent fire incident at Tardeo, which claimed seven lives, the special regulations for buildings vulnerable to such incidents be strictly implemented.

The PIL has also sought to fix accountability on concerned public servants since “an important matter of public interest has been kept pending for more than 10 years.”

“Notwithstanding that the objections and suggestions in the matter were processed by Deputy Director, Town Planning, yet no Final Notification has been issued. In the meanwhile, during this course of almost several years of pendency, several disasters have taken place,” it stated.

The court was told that since its filing in 2018, there had been many man-made disasters and fire incidents in which large number of people had lost their lives, and the recent incident of the fire at the high-rise building in south Mumbai on January 22 was representative of the same, therefore the PIL should be heard on urgent basis.

The High Court will hear the PIL on February 7.