PUNE: The recent incident of the fire at Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai has alarmed the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) administration about Fashion Street in Camp, which lacks fire safety measures. 

Presenting the agenda on this matter, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PCB, DN Yadav, referring to the Kamala Mills incident, said that it is necessary to take safety measures in order to prevent incident which may cause loss of human life and property at Fashion Street.

“I have recently surveyed Fashion Street and found out that it is very congested. Shops are located very close to each other. The area has a heavy footfall, with even foreigners visiting. The street has no emergency exit and no fire safety,” said PCB President Brig Rajiv Sethi.

Yadav’s agenda for the meeting mentioned, “It has been brought to notice that the Fashion Street premises are very congested and many occupiers are illegally occupying the said premises, making it a heavily crowded area. These illegal occupants have also been taking electricity connection without valid permission from Maharashtra State Electricity Board or PCB.”

According to the records and earlier verification carried out by the revenue staff of PCB, the place is not safe if any fire incident takes place. Also, it is difficult for a fire vehicle or ambulance to reach there, due to narrow and congested roads.

On the above facts, Sethi questioned the negligence by the fire department team on the prevalence of such an endangered area. 

“It is irresponsible of officials who failed to act on such a serious condition. The fire department must immediately survey the area and find out violators who do not fit the norms of fire safety in the area. A legal notice should be sent to them and a report based on the inspection must be submitted within a week to PCB authorities,” Sethi said.