Fire Prevention Week highlights the lack of progress on key safety measures and audits
Fire personnel on the job to bring the raging fire under control at the New Market building on December 26, 2023.
Photo Credits: The Goan/File photo
MARGAO
As the Fire Services kicked off its Fire Prevention Week from Monday, with a host of activities ranging from fire drills, demonstrations, and lectures lined up during the week-long programme, the same old question may come to haunt the Fire Services and agencies alike – are the congested markets in the commercial capital fire-proof, or for that matter, the over century-old Margao Municipal heritage building?
Post the December 26, 2023 fire incident at the Margao Municipal New Market, the fire brigade had recommended a host of fire safety measures in the two Municipal markets. Similarly, after a minor fire in the Councillor’s room in the Margao Municipal building, questions were raised as to whether the Civic body had got the Fire Services to conduct a fire safety audit of the heritage building.
Well, after the raging New Market fire on December 26 had destroyed property worth lakhs of rupees, market traders, politicians and the District Disaster Management Authority had all batted for fire safety measures in the Municipal markets – the New Market and the Gandhi Market.
However, the fire safety measures are yet to fall in place around the markets. Leave alone the long-delayed overhead water tank, even a dedicated water supply line around the markets is yet to fall in place till date. Resultantly, the fire hydrants installed around the New Market lie in a defunct state for want of water pressure in the existing pipeline.
When 'The Goan' called up a senior PWD Water Supply official to shed light on the status of the dedicated water supply line and fire hydrants, it was revealed that a tender has already been floated to lay the line around the two markets.
The official, however, said the work order has still not been given to the successful bidder for want of expenditure sanction from the government. “Once the project receives the government’s expenditure sanction, the work order will be issued to the contractor with a deadline for completion of the work,” the official added.
Recommendations to MMC
The Fire Services had recommended a host of measures for the Margao Municipal Council to implement at the congested New Market — to maintain the market entry and exit clear of encroachments and free from obstructions, and to regulate vehicular parking around the market to facilitate fire tenders reaching the market without any obstruction.
Arrangements for fire extinguishers, painting the shops with fire-retardant paint, and the constitution of fire team volunteers were some of the other recommendations made by the Fire Services in its letter addressed to the Margao Chief Officer on January 17, 2024 — but in vain.
Questions are being raised as to whether the Civic body has addressed the burning issue of encroachments and obstructions in the markets till date.
Fire audit of MMC building
A minor fire in the Councillor’s room in the heritage civic body building in March 2023 had triggered panic in the corridors of the Municipal building over the fire safety arrangements. The incident came as a wake-up call for the Margao Municipal City Fathers and the Municipal *babus* to conduct a fire safety audit of the heritage building.
No doubt, the Margao Municipal Council had dashed off a letter to the Fire Services to conduct a fire audit. Questions, however, are raised as to whether the fire audit had taken place and whether the fire safety measures have been implemented in the Municipal building till date.
