Declared unsafe in 2018, APMC yard operating illegally

Nagpur: Declared unsafe due to lack of firefighting arrangements in 2018, the Kalamna Agriculture Produce Market Corporation (APMC) yard, which stocks agriculture produce from not only Nagpur district but from neighbouring districts and adjoining states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh etc, was operating all these years illegally.
Officiating chief fire officer from NMC’s fire and emergency services department DP Chandankhede said the department had declared the APMC unsafe in January 2018 and issued order to disconnect power and water supplies in April 2018, under Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006.
According to details obtained from NMC’s fire and emergency services department, the APMC was provided with provisional no objection certificate on October 16, 2003. Then the department had suggested a slew of measures to the APMC to be carried out.
On several occasions, the department had suggested firefighting arrangements to be made inside the APMC yard, said officials from Kalamna fire station.
“On October 11, 2017, officials from Kalamna fire station had inspected the yard and again ordered the APMC to install firefighting systems,” said the officials.
Apart from installing hydrants at several locations in the yard, the fire department had also suggested the APMC to install sprinklers and smoke detectors, said fire officials. However, the APMC continued to neglect the measures suggested.
Subsequently, on January 23, 2018, three months after serving the notice to install firefighting arrangements, the department had declared the APMC yard unsafe. Three months later, i.e. on April 17, 2018, the department had directed the MSEDCL and agency supplying water to Kalamna market yard to disconnect power and water supply. However, like in other cases, both the government agencies including MSEDCL ignored the fire department’s order and continued to supply power and water uninterrupted.
APMC chairman Ahmad Sheikh, however, claimed pipelines covering entire area have been already laid and walls too have been erected at specific intervals. “Kalamna fire station is also situated very nearby, so the existing arrangement is sufficient,” Sheikh claimed.