Maharashtra Government issued Licences to 60 Fire Protection Companies for Safety Audits

The Maharashtra government on 22 February 2012 issued licences to 60 fire protection companies to conduct safety audits. The Maharashtra government’s move has come as a precautionary measure to prevent the fire mishaps like one happened at AMRI hospital in Kolkata on 9 December 2011.

Nitin Fire Protection Industries, FirePro Systems, UTC Fire and Security are among the corporate firms approved by the State government. Name of 30 companies have been shortlisted for conducting audit in Mumbai, while the rest will conduct audits in other parts of Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, provides for all residential and commercial buildings to follow a series of fire safety norms. Currently, fire services are empowered to impose a penalty of Rs 30,000 to 1 lakh or suggest imprisonment of building owners who don’t follow the fire safety law.

On 9 JANUARY 2012 a massive fire had erupted at AMRI hospital in Kolkata which had claimed at least 80 lives and had left injured many. The blaze had exposed the vulnerabilty of Indian cities to such disasters.