HC directs fire dept to conduct mock drill at Nehru Place
The Delhi high court, on Tuesday, recommended the fire department to ensure that the fire brigades have access from all sides in the Nehru Place area, where recently a fire incident took place and directed to conduct a mock drill to find the shortcomings.
A bench of Justices Manmohan and Navin Chawla noted, “We have to ensure that the building is safe from all sides and the fire brigade has access to enter from all sides.”The court suggestion came while hearing a petition initiated by it on its own followed by a fire incident in a building at Nehru Place market here.
The court said the committee set up for monitoring such issues relating to Nehru Place will consider the suggestion given by the Delhi Fire Service after the mock drill.
The court listed the matter for October 27.
On August 13, the Delhi high court took cognisance of the fire incident
◗ The court suggestion came while hearing a petition initiated by it on its own followed by a fire incident in a building at Nehru Place market here. The court said the committee set up for monitoring such issues relating to Nehru Place will consider the suggestion given by the Delhi Fire Service after the mock drill.
in Nehru Place, the District Commercial Centre, observing that the centre has several highrise buildings and in between these buildings there is a pavement area for circulation of people. On the said pavement area, over the years, hawkers and vendors have come to claim the space meant for the pedestrians.
The enormity of the problem caused by the hawkers and vendors at the Nehru Place area was seen from a video circulated on social media and after observing the same video, the court said, “It was difficult for the fire tenders to access the building where the fire broke out. It also shows the complete lack of any cleanliness or maintenance on the part of the municipal authorities.”
It added that the Nehru Place area has been declared as a no-hawking and no vending zone.
The court had directed the Delhi police as well as the SDMC to ensure, on a daily basis, that there is no hawking and vending resorted to at the Nehru Place, the District Commercial Centre, by any person who does not have an operative order of protection granted by any court.